Two powerful unions are at loggerheads over the preselection of Victorian state MP Jane Garrett.
A "horrified" CFMEU demands Premier Daniel Andrews stop the United Firefighters' Union campaign against Ms Garrett, as a factional battle rages in Victorian Labor, threatening to disrupt federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's election preparation.
"I am writing to you to vent my absolute dismay and frustration in regards to a very personal campaign (against Ms Garrett)," CFMEU Victorian assistant secretary Shaun Reardon penned in a letter to the premier.
Ms Garrett quit cabinet two years ago during a bitter fight over a new pay deal with the United Firefighters Union, which has continued to target her since.
"I believe she has been scapegoated by certain party members, assaulted near her family home, and is the victim of a misogynistic social media campaign," Mr Reardon continued, in the letter described as "inflammatory" by the UFU.
He urged Mr Andrews to shutdown any UFU attempt to campaign against the Victorian government.
"I am horrified that another party member, and a union leader at that, would threaten to campaign against the return of an Andrews-led government," he said.
Victorian Labor factions are currently horse-trading over a new federal seat, with the CFMEU and right-wing unions demanding Ms Garrett be given a safe spot.
But UFU secretary Peter Marshall earlier sent a letter to MPs saying a deal to give Ms Garrett a seat was not in the state's interest.
He also said her replacement, Emergency Services Minister James Merlino, would struggle to win his seat at the November state election without UFU support.
"It's not so much about Jane Garrett being in politics, however, it's about having a good representative in parliament," Mr Marshall told 3AW on Monday.
"Under her leadership there was nothing but industrial disputation."
The creation of a new electorate essentially splitting Mr Shorten's seat of Maribyrnong has sparked a factional battle over who should control it.
Under one proposed deal, Ms Garrett would leave her marginal Brunswick seat and go to the upper house.
Right faction MP Daniel Mulino would then go into the new federal seat.
Other options would see Ms Garrett stay in Victoria's lower house.
Mr Shorten is still considering how the new seat's factional owner will be decided.
Mr Andrews told reporters preselection was a matter for the Labor Party.
"I'll leave people to make their own judgments about various letters that have been written and comments that have been made," he said.
"These essentially are internal party matters around who gets preselected for what seat, that will be a matter that is dealt with by the party."
