The then Victorian state secretary of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), Mem Suleyman, has been the centre of a lot of controversy in recent years: in the sometimes sordid world of union politics, not many individuals have captured as much interest and notoriety as he did. With good political judgement and strong factional connections in the Australian Labour Party (ALP), Suleyman was a figure well beyond the union movement until he was accused of malpractice and an internal inquiry was initiated, which would come to transform the face of union leadership in Victoria.
From Union Organiser to Political Powerbroker
The progression up the ranks of the TWU of Mem Suleyman was typical of the way several Australian union leaders progressed in their role of going out to grass roots activism to becoming powerful political figures. supported by his father Hakki Suleyman a long-serving master of hoicking in Labor Victorian right side factional balance, Mem soon became a major figure in both union and party politics.
As it turned out, Suleyman had comfortably occupied the position of TWU Victorian state secretary by 2020, which provided him not only with a solid footing over one of the most vibrant branches in the country but also with a considerable degree of influence concerning ALP preselections and internal factional issues. His fame was as a tactful organiser and strategist as able to construct coalitions and steer political currents to his advantage.
Allegations of Misconduct and Union Tensions
But the real test in Suleyman’s political career came in August 2024. There grew an internal report, which contained very serious claims of harassing behaviour, including bullying and sexual harassment. The TWU national executive has acted promptly, leaving him on stand down pending a formal investigation.
The claims, which some insiders within the union have dubbed as being very worrying, have seen the setting up of an independent committee, which will include retired judge Frank Marks, to review not only the allegations made against Suleyman, but also the culture of the union, the Victorian-Tasmanian branch.
An Explosive Investigation and Fallout
Marks talked to a large number of union members, staff and officials over the weeks. The results have shocked a great number of people who were unable to take it when it was published in early September 2024; no accusations against Suleyman could be proved. The report concluded that either the complaints were unfounded or exaggerated, or unfounded and publicised on the face of internal rivalry in politics.
The report given by Marks accused some of the factions of the branch of staging a smear campaign to boot out Suleyman and take command of the direction of the union once again. According to the report, the Victorians’ toxic political culture had become more power politics-driven rather than member advocacy.
Disbanding a Union Branch
The effects were instantly severe. Instead of reinstating Suleyman, the TWU national executive decided to take a drastic step to dismantle the entire Victorian-Tasmanian branch following reference to too much cultural damage. The work of the branch was reabsorbed in the union’s national office, while awaiting structural changes and changes in leadership.
This was a spectacular turnaround for Suleyman. It was politically disastrous, although it was legally cleared. These supporters, most of them people within the ALP movement itself, fulminated against the result, describing it as deeply unfair, because a good organiser had been replaced not because he was corrupt, but because he was too good at playing the political game.
Political Ties and Factional Intrigue
Mem and Hakki Suleymans have been in the ALP Right in the state of Victoria, a long time. They have also been associated with federal MP Sam Rae, who used to serve as secretary of TWU before he was elected to the parliament. Critics have asserted that the faction of the family enjoyed excessive control over the processes of preselection, union recommendation, and internal promotions.
It was this kind of factional authority, however, that also exposed Mem Suleyman to attack. Critics both inside and outside the union cited a need to focus more on advocacy of workers, rather than on political aspiration, and his supporters have rejected this claim, saying that he had provided good results to members and modernised operations of the union.
A Case Study in Union Power and Accountability
The Mem Suleyman saga is a case in point of what manipulation of power, ambition, and internal politics entails in the Australian unions. Although unions are commonly perceived as a shield of the working classes, they are, in turn, areas of political battles, and power and influence are jealously guarded.
It is unusual, and some are labelling this action by the TWU as a turning point in union responsibility when an entire branch did not perform its duties as the union assigned. To others, it is an overreach, simply a response to what was felt to be a political excess.
Where to From Here?
By the middle of 2025, Mem Suleyman is still active in politics, but mostly not in the spotlight. It has yet to be answered whether he will move to seek a comeback to formal union leadership or passively seek a place in ALP machinery. Some supporters have suggested that this is not the end of his story, whereas some point out to the fact that the union is in a better position without him.
The thing is that his name is and will always be associated with one of the most dramatic of internal upheavals in Australian union history, which revealed stark divisions, questioned long-held principles of due process in its operations and renewed or redefined the distribution of power within the labour movement.
Conclusion
The story of the Mem Suleyman is not merely a scandal or a power tussle. It serves as a mirror of the dynamic nature of unionism in Australia, which sees the collusion of loyalty, influence and accountability. As to whether history would look on him as a reformer who fell victim to the warring of rivals or a political operator who carried the game too far, time would tell. His influence on the TWU and the larger Labour movement is undisputed, though.
