John Setka’s union division poached 219 members from a rival faction in what a court heard was a breach of the rules in one of Australia’s biggest unions.

The rules surrounding membership eligibility in the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union are being examined this week in the Federal Court in a case that highlights the internal war within the powerful industrial body.

John Setka is in a damaging internal dispute with the national head of the CFMMEU. Credit:AAP

Mr Setka, the controversial union figure forced out of the Labor Party last year after he pleaded guilty to harassing his wife with phone calls and text messages, is accused of poaching workers from the CFMMEU’s manufacturing division to the Victorian construction division he oversees.

CFMMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor, who is from the manufacturing division, initiated the court action against Mr Setka and 29 other union officials and wants the Federal Court to order his rival to stop recruiting members from his branch.