Plumbers’ union secretary and ALP right-wing powerbroker Earl Setches has been accused of repeatedly headbutting a union rival at a Christmas party last Thursday, as a factional feud erupts in Victorian Labor.
Setches, who is one of Bill Shorten’s closest political allies, allegedly charged at Mem Suleyman, the assistant secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union’s Victorian branch, before headbutting him at least two times.
Earl Setches (left) is alleged to have charged at Mem Suleyman.
The Age spoke to several sources who either witnessed the alleged assault or are TWU members and did not want to be identified. They confirmed the version of events and said Suleyman sustained facial injuries and is considering making a complaint to police. Blood was not drawn in the incident.
One witness said Suleyman called Setches a “coward” and a “thug” after the attack.
Suleyman also made aggressive remarks in the exchange, sources said.
Setches was reportedly immediately escorted from the party, which was held in a courtyard at the Victorian Trades Hall Council in Carlton and hosted by Maurice Blackburn, a law firm that regularly represents trade unions. The annual event was attended by up to 100 of the state’s most influential union figures, dozens of lawyers and at least two ministers from the Andrews government.
It is unknown what prompted the altercation, and Setches and Suleyman both declined to comment when contacted on Sunday.
Maurice Blackburn also declined to comment.
The incident coincides with an escalation in tensions between Suleyman and several Labor powerbrokers including Setches who are supporting a push to overthrow Suleyman and other TWU leaders.
Thousands of transport sector workers have cast ballots in their union election and voting is due to close this week.
The challenge is led by tip-truck driver Luke McCrone, who claims the current leadership has mismanaged the union.
Both sides have invested significant resources in the election campaign, which has major implications for Victorian Labor’s internal power structure.
The politically and industrially influential TWU has formed part of a power-sharing agreement with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association, also known as the shoppies’ union, and forces aligned with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. This group has dominated the party’s Right faction since MP Adem Somyurek was sacked, allowing it to push factional opponents out of parliament and install MPs from its own group.
If McCrone is successful, he is expected to pull out of this power-sharing agreement, stripping it of its numerical advantage and authority.
This would mean the power-sharing group may not have the authority to speak on behalf of the Victorian Right faction when decisions are made on preselections, potentially leading to a period of factional instability before the next federal and state elections.
In 2016, an investigation by The Age found that Setches had inflated his union’s membership levels in an apparent bid to boost the union’s clout in the Labor Party and prop up the Right faction.
The plumbers’ union was found to have claimed many more members from Labor than its official figures showed over eight consecutive years – one year showed nearly double the official figures.
At the time, Setches blamed the difference on a “clerical f--- up” and denied his union had inflated its membership numbers for factional advantage within the Labor Party.
“No reason whatsoever; I would not give a f--- [about Labor Party numbers],” he said in 2016.
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2022-12-11 05:57:23Z
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