A Station Officer recently contacted the Union after he was directed to seek approval from his Inspector before he paid meal allowance claims. Whilst this is not a common occurrence, it is worth reminding members, and more to the point the Department, that under the Award the officer-in-charge is authorised to make these payments.

Read more…

The Union Office will close for its annual Christmas/New Year break at 1200 hours today, Friday 21 December and resume operations on Wednesday 2 January 2007. Members requiring assistance over this time should contact an on-shift State Committee official (see below).

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Union’s officials, industrial and administrative staff, to wish all members and your families the compliments of the Season. 

When it comes to submitting medical certificates and medical records generally, members are advised as follows: Read more…

Hundreds of professional firefighters from around the State have now been called in to assist with storm damage in the Western suburbs of Sydney following a severe hailstorm on Sunday. The Department has now written to the Union seeking agreement to activate Clause 27 of the Retained Firefighters Award “Attendance at Major Emergencies”. This will facilitate the use of firefighters from all parts of the state in helping communities patch up their homes. Read more…

Following a series of meetings around the state the Union has now concluded its Annual General Meeting round with every item on the meeting’s agenda endorsed by the Union’s rank and file membership. Results of the various meetings are below: Read more…

When it comes to submitting medical certificates, and to your medical records generally, members are advised as follows:

•  you do not have to release medical records to the Department, and should not do so before contacting the Union first;
 
• you do not have to give your consent for your GP to speak or release records to the Department, and again should not do so before contacting the Union first; 

• the medical certificates you supply do not have to contain a diagnosis. Medical certificates need only state the period for which you are unfit for duty and the date upon which you which you are fit to return to duty; and 
• members who have difficulty seeing a doctor (a growing problem in country NSW in particular) do not have to use other forms of leave to cover their absence due to illness. Both the permanent and retained Awards allow the Department to dispense with the need for the provision of a medical certificate, and the Department has assured the Union that it will waive the need for a medical certificate if it can be satisfied that it was not possible for a member on sick leave to see a doctor on the day(s) in question.

 The Department has in the recent past threatened to dock the wages and/or deduct the leave of members whose doctors have not supplied a diagnosis on their medical certificates. Any member who is the subject of similar warnings or threats is advised to contact the Union office immediately, because the Union will take action.

 Simon Flynn

State Secretary