Ex-CFMMEU South Australian branch boss Aaron Cartledge says he left the union on ‘relatively good terms’
HE was never one to hold back in protecting workers’ rights but Aaron Cartledge is remaining tight-lipped over his decision to quit the state’s construction union.
HE was never one to hold back in protecting workers’ rights but Aaron Cartledge is remaining tight-lipped over his decision to quit as leader of the state’s construction union.
The Advertiser revealed on Monday that Mr Cartledge resigned as state secretary of the
Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union after six years at its helm, with one supporter claiming he had been pushed.
Mr Cartledge declined to say if he chose to step down from the top job but said that he finished on “relatively good terms”.
“I’m not going to say a real lot at this stage,” he said. “I had been discussing with the leadership nationally for probably the last five to six weeks how that (resignation) might look.”
He did say part of his decision to leave was the members of the state branch would benefit from “better resourcing”.
He said union membership had improved in the past six months, reflecting confidence in SA’s commercial construction industry.
“With a few more organisers on the ground and a few more delegates with a better resourced structure in the union, I think they’ve got big potential to pick up another 500 to 1000 members,” he said.
Mr Cartledge has been replaced by national assistant secretary Andrew Sutherland.
His decision to quit came after a committee of CFMMEU national heavyweights — including national construction division secretary Dave Noonan and Queensland state secretary Michael Ravbar — was established last year to oversee SA operations.
The so-called Strategic Direction Committee was endorsed at the union’s national conference, in part, to manage finances of the SA branch “in conjunction with the branch secretary” and “direct the branch secretary and executive to implement such other measures as may be necessary and expedient to achieve the goals of the union, and refer any issue to the divisional executive for action if necessary”.
The conference also appointed Mr Sutherland as strategic co-ordinator for the SA branch for a two-year term.
The union’s SA branch and delegates have been hit with $1.5 million in Federal Court-imposed fines, in the past five years, for illegally entering building sites.
Mr Cartledge said he was looking at other opportunities in the construction industry.
“It’s probably going to take a few weeks to sink in that I’m not going back (to the union),” he said.
But the Master Builders Association of SA has raised its concerns about interstate control of the SA branch.
“South Australia’s economy is finally starting to improve,” policy and communications manager Will Frogley said. “The last thing our state needs right now is law breaking from interstate CFMMEU officials.”