From the Secretary's Desk
Since taking office there have been a number of issues that I have had to turn my attention to. My intention is to continue the focus on improving member’s industrial situation as well as providing additional benefits.
The first of these add-on benefits was the introduction of the discount book in association with the new look membership card. There were some glitches that saw a small number of members have to wait an unacceptable period of time for this to arrive and for that I apologise. Those glitches have now been sorted out to the point were new members should receive their card and book within two weeks of joining the union. Existing members will receive their renewal card and book at the end of December each year. You will also see many extra discounts over the year as we improve the range of offers.
I took my daughter to the movies last Saturday night at Warwick and just by showing my membership card saved $8.
I would hope that members may have more ideas about were they would like us to try and access discounts in the future. If you do you should let your organiser know.
The Committee of Management and I were also faced with the decision as to whether to continue to provide members with Journey Insurance in the face of the growing cost. It was fortuitous that I had just received a cheque the week before our meeting of just over two thousand dollars for one of our members. Obviously, this is an important protection to members when they may need it the most. The decision was to continue to provide this service but review it in future years.
Enterprise Bargaining is by far the most prominent way in which the union endeavours to improve the lives of its members. Organisers spend much of their week preparing, negotiating and taking a vote of members for Enterprise Agreements. I have also been involved at times when there seems to be an impasse.
One of the main focuses in 2003 will be growth of the union. A necessary component of looking after existing members is to unionise new sites. Enterprise Bargaining will only continue to provide growth in wages and improvements in conditions if we make sure those competitors of your employer face the same costs.
There are many challenges ahead.
Last modified 2004-10-12 07:17 PM
