Kate McClymont
April 13, 2012
smh.com
Health Services Union boss Michael Williamson has run the union like a "secret society", the union's national secretary Kathy Jackson told a news conference in Melbourne today.
Ms Jackson, who has called for Mr Williamson and the national executive to step down and face fresh elections, said that she would not be seeking Mr Williamson's job but would be happy to continue in her current role.
Following his decision to resign from the vice-presidency of Unions NSW yesterday, pressure is growing for Mr Williamson to resign from the union he heads as corruption allegations involving him continue to mount.
Ms Jackson has notified Mr Williamson and other HSU officials that she intends to move a resolution at the forthcoming HSU council meeting to have Mr Williamson removed from office for gross misconduct and neglect of duty.
She cited allegations raised this week in The Sydney Morning Herald as well as Mr Williamson's failure to co-operate with the union's own internal investigation.
"I, Kathy Jackson, Executive President HSUeast and HSU East Branch hereby charge you, Michael Alexander Williamson, General Secretary of HSUeast and HSU East Branch, with gross misbehaviour and/or gross neglect of duty pursuant to Rule 21 of the HSUeast Rules and Rule 66 of the federal Health Services Union Rules," Ms Jackson said in an email sent to Mr Williamson and other union officials late yesterday.
The three charges Ms Jackson is levelling against Mr Williamson include that Mr Williamson announced in a statement to the members on September 22, 2011, that he looked forward "to clearing my name".
However, in January, this year Ian Temby, QC, who has been appointed by the union to inquire into allegations of corruption and nepotism, notified union officials that Mr Williamson had refused to co-operate with his investigation.
Given Mr Williamson's "assertions of total innocence", his "refusal to co-operate with the Temby investigation involves a gross dereliction of duty to the members ... warranting removal from the office", Ms Jackson said in a formal complaint to the union's executive.
The second charge she has levelled against Mr Williamson relates to his failure to explain to members the $30,000 a month he has been spending on a secret credit card attached to the primary account of his close personal friend Cheryl McMillan, who is also the union's procurement officer.
The Herald revealed this week that Mr Williamson had been using a black Centurion American Express card, a titanium invitation-only card for customers who put more than $250,000 a year on American express cards.
"Given the obvious damage being done to the union" by the Herald's report, Ms Jackson claimed Mr Williamson was obliged "to provide such innocent explanation as is available to the members and to the council as soon as that report was published and that remains his continuing duty".
The third charge Ms Jackson, wished to bring against Mr Williamson relates to the $400,000 the union has paid to Canme Services, which is registered in the name of Mr Williamson's wife, Julieanne.
Ms Jackson said that Mr Williamson, when seeking approval for such payments, had never disclosed his family's interest in the company.
All the documents relating to payments to Canme have been requested by Ms Jackson.
The HSU's next council meeting is scheduled for April 30.
The union's acting secretary Peter Mylan congratulated Mr Williamson for resigning from the vice-presidency of Unions NSW yesterday.
He refused to say whether Mr Williamson would be forced to resign from his HSU positions, but signalled that further announcements in relation to the HSU would be made today.
At a press conference in Melbourne today, Ms Jackson said that, should Mr Williamson stand down, the NSW Labor Party should not do "a backroom deal" to replace him with one of its own.
The members need to decide on his replacement "not Sussex Street", she said.
Fending off criticisms about her role in airing the union's dirty laundry, Ms Jackson said that she had tried to sort out the matter internally, only to be told that Mr Williamson was "too powerful" and that it would be best to wait for him to resign before embarking on a plan to clean up the union.
She also accepted that her $270,000-a-year salary was "obscene" and blamed Mr Williamson for setting "vastly inflated" wages for union executives. Mr Williamson is on a $330,000 year salary plus $150,000 from his various government and union-related board positions.
Ms Jackson indicated she would be happy to take a substantial pay cut.
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