‘Mem Suleyman played too much politics’

Rival officials say Transport Workers Union was ‘more interested in politics than drivers’.

Mem Suleyman, right, with Labor MP Sam Rae.

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A Transport Workers Union official told an investigation one of the reasons there was a push to remove state secretary Mem Suleyman was the union was too focused on playing politics rather than looking after its members.

The investigation’s confidential report into the suspension of Mr Suleyman, who is also a Victorian ALP powerbroker, reveals deep frustration within the union about how political the union had become.

One official told the union-appointed investigator, former judge Frank Marks, it was important for the TWU to “move forward” under new leadership.

“There will be no politics in the union and politicians will only be used to lobby for union purposes,” the official said, referring to the prospect of a different official replacing Mr Suleyman.

“I have been upset with the union involvement in politics under Mem and the person before him. Mem had to go and the branch is happy he has gone.

“We could have done better with the processes, but it had to be done. We just want to move forward.”

Mem Suleyman ‘played too much politics’.

The Marks report, publicly detailed for the first time in The Australian on Wednesday, was strongly critical of Mr Suleyman’s rivals, finding they had “manufactured” sexual harassment allegations in a bid to “neck” and “destroy” him as the leader of the 10,000-strong union.

After receiving the report last month, the TWU national leadership moved swiftly to abolish the Victorian branch and most officials, including Mr Suleyman, lost their jobs.

In addition to his former $236,000-a-year job as state secretary, Mr Suleyman was a powerful figure within the Victorian ALP. He and his father, Hakki Suleyman, both sit on the party’s public office selection committee which plays a key role in preselecting federal and state Labor MPs.

Hakki Suleyman with a Sam Rae tote bag.

The Suleyman family is also associated with hundreds of grassroots branch members in the western suburbs which helped them and the TWU exert internal authority within the ALP and Labor MPs.

Both Mem and Hakki Suleyman are close to federal Labor MP Sam Rae. Mr Rae has played glowing tributes to Mem Suleyman in federal parliament and on social media.

“Proud as punch to be out at Melton with my amazing mate Mem Suleyman,” Mr Rae posted.

Hakki Suleyman has also worked in a taxpayer-funded job in Mr Rae’s federal electorate office.

One former TWU official told The Australian on Wednesday there were growing concerns within the union about the amount of time and resources being used on politics rather than looking after members.

“We’d beomce a sub-branch of the Victorian ALP, we had lost focus on what our main job was, looking after drivers, and it was all about the politics,” the former official said.

Mr Suleyman’s rivals have also raised concerns about the investigation saying it was too limited and had failed to probe some significant issues within the union.