Former Victorian CFMEU head John Setka denies history of intimidation in bombshell 7News Spotlight interview

John Setka, the former head of the CFMEU in Victoria, has denied he has a history of intimidating people and claims a secret deal between the union and the Federal Government cost him his job.

Mr Setka ran the powerful and now disgraced Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union for more than 10 years, but suddenly quit last month amid allegations that bikies and criminals had infiltrated the union.

The former union heavy made the claims in a bombshell interview aired on Sunday night on 7NEWS Spotlight, breaking his silence and admitting the allegations are true.

In his interview with 7NEWS Melbourne’s Sharnelle Vella, Mr Setka claims he resigned after a deal was struck between between the union and Federal Government officials.

“The truth is there was a deal struck. I offered myself when I heard that there could be an administrator appointed,” he told 7NEWS Spotlight.

“Conversations were that there would be administrators brought into the Victorian branch and the administrator . . . I said, ‘you know what, I’ll go, I will pull the pin today because my job is to protect the union and its members’.

“That’s my job and I’ll go today. But they leave the union alone. My job is to protect the union. So, I said, ‘I’ll leave today, but they don’t bring administrators in’.”

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