‘Toxic’ row sparks GGCA leadership ballot

Hundreds of members of the GGCA have been asked to vote in a ballot tomorrow to endorse the union’s current leadership, in a bid to defuse “toxic” and “irreconcilable differences” within its executive committee.

The white collar union’s 1,600 members will be asked to endorse GGCA president Wendy Cumming and several members of the executive.

If that mandate is not obtained, Ms Cumming said she will resign her post immediately.

Details of the vote and the underlying tensions were revealed in a bulletin circulated by the union yesterday, in which Ms Cumming said she needed a strong, unified team in order to discharge her leadership role.

“Even more crucially, I need to feel comfortable with my team, that we have shared values and ethics and the basic principles which should guide our decision making and our actions on behalf of the membership,” she wrote in the bulleting.

“It is with great regret that I have had to acknowledge that there has been a breakdown in the relationship of trust and confidence with several members of the executive committee, and I now feel that I can no longer continue in my present working environment, which has become toxic and extremely unhealthy.”

“I also feel that this situation is unsustainable even in the short term, as I am accountable and responsible for the actions of all the members of the team.”

“Given that running a union is a great responsibility which impacts on the lives of others, my present working situation makes me feel acutely uncomfortable.”

The ballot will be run independently by notary public Anthony Lombard.