This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/24/paul-howes-to-quit-as-national-secretary-of-australian-workers-union

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Paul Howes to quit as national secretary of Australian Workers’ Union Paul Howes to quit as national secretary of Australian Workers’ Union
(about 3 hours later)
The national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, Paul Howes, has announced he will quit the union in July.The national secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, Paul Howes, has announced he will quit the union in July.
But the high-profile union leader, who joined the AWU at age 17 and was elected national secretary nine years later, denied he would be immediately moving into federal politics.But the high-profile union leader, who joined the AWU at age 17 and was elected national secretary nine years later, denied he would be immediately moving into federal politics.
“For some time now I have been contemplating the next steps in my life and as such I recognise the right thing to do is to step down,” he said in a statement to members.“For some time now I have been contemplating the next steps in my life and as such I recognise the right thing to do is to step down,” he said in a statement to members.
“I have always said that representing the AWU’s members is the highest honour I can imagine seeking. And so, despite what you may hear, I am not leaving this job to pursue a seat in parliament.“I have always said that representing the AWU’s members is the highest honour I can imagine seeking. And so, despite what you may hear, I am not leaving this job to pursue a seat in parliament.
“I have been proud to be a member of the same union as you all. And I will cherish my membership ticket to my last day.”“I have been proud to be a member of the same union as you all. And I will cherish my membership ticket to my last day.”
He is also expected to step down from the Labor party’s national executive and his position as vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, according to the Australian Financial Review. He is expected to be replaced at the AWU by the union’s assistant national secretary, Scott McDine.He is also expected to step down from the Labor party’s national executive and his position as vice-president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, according to the Australian Financial Review. He is expected to be replaced at the AWU by the union’s assistant national secretary, Scott McDine.
Howes did not comment on speculation that he would, upon leaving the AWU, begin publicly advocating for links between Labor and the union movement to be severed.
The move is unlikely to be the end of the 32-year-old’s involvement in public life but comes after a failed bid for a Senate seat following the resignation of former foreign minister Bob Carr after the 2013 election.The move is unlikely to be the end of the 32-year-old’s involvement in public life but comes after a failed bid for a Senate seat following the resignation of former foreign minister Bob Carr after the 2013 election.
Howes rose to prominence at the age of 26 when he replaced Bill Shorten as national secretary of the AWU in 2007. He starred as one of the “faceless men” who helped replace Kevin Rudd as prime minister with Julia Gillard, to whom he remained loyal even after Labor’s caucus, including Shorten, reinstated Rudd as prime minister in June 2013.Howes rose to prominence at the age of 26 when he replaced Bill Shorten as national secretary of the AWU in 2007. He starred as one of the “faceless men” who helped replace Kevin Rudd as prime minister with Julia Gillard, to whom he remained loyal even after Labor’s caucus, including Shorten, reinstated Rudd as prime minister in June 2013.
In recent months he has staked out ground as a reformer within the union movement, calling in February for a new “grand compact” between unions and industry and teaming with the former Howard government minister Peter Reith to call for more coal seam gas exploration in Victoria and New South Wales.In recent months he has staked out ground as a reformer within the union movement, calling in February for a new “grand compact” between unions and industry and teaming with the former Howard government minister Peter Reith to call for more coal seam gas exploration in Victoria and New South Wales.
The Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne told reporters on Monday that Howes would “be very welcome in Canberra”.The Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne told reporters on Monday that Howes would “be very welcome in Canberra”.