News

Notice of 2015 October Special General Meeting

October 20, 2015

Notice of October Special General Meeting

The State Committee of Management has resolved to call a SGM to be held concurrently with the 2015 AGM. Meeting times and dates will therefore be as published last Friday, 16 October with SITREP 33.

There will be two SGM motions only.

1. Amendment of MFR Policy

 “That the MFR Policy adopted by the SGM held 21 June 2013 be amended by replacing ‘O’Farrell Government’ with ‘NSW Government’ and adding the words ‘including, if and when considered appropriate by the State Committee of Management, by:

i) banning all ‘assist ambulance’ calls; and/or
ii) banning members’ participation in training delivered by Ambulance Service employees.‘

so that the Policy then reads:

 That this meeting recognises:

a) the intention of the O’Farrell NSW Government and FRNSW management to pursue a Medical First Responder (MFR) role for permanent firefighters, without any extra pay;
b) that MFR work may be introduced even if a serious and sustained industrial campaign is undertaken to resist it;
c) that remaining uncommitted as to whether or not we should perform this work is no longer an option;

and therefore confirms the Union’s in-principle support for the performance of this work by permanent firefighters subject to two conditions, being:

1)    the O’Farrell NSW Government’s agreement to a 12.5% wage increase for all members who agree to perform MFR duties; and
2)    the endorsement of any proposed MFR model for FRNSW by a subsequent General Meeting of members;

and further resolves to actively and stridently resist any attempt by FRNSW management to implement MFR unless and until conditions 1 and 2 above have been met including, if and when considered appropriate by the State Committee of Management, by:

i) banning all ‘assist ambulance’ calls; and/or
ii) banning members’ participation in training delivered by Ambulance Service employees.”

 2. Amendment of SCOM Remuneration Policy

“That sub-paragraph (c) of the SCOM Remuneration Policy that was adopted by the AGM held 25 November 2009 be amended to increase the annual organising allowance payable to the Country Sub-Branch and Retained Sub-Branch Secretaries (only) by introducing a new and third ‘Regional’ organising allowance, so that sub-paragraph (c) then reads:

c) an annual organising allowance (two three rates) to allow for and facilitate the visitation by officials of members’ workplaces within their respective areas of responsibility, as follows:

i) The President and the Country and Retained Sub-Branch officials will each be paid the ‘state’ organising allowance of $3,572 (representing 10,000kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar); and
ii) The Country and Retained Sub-Branch officials will both be paid the ‘regional’ organising allowance of $7,144 (representing 20,000kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar); and
ii iii)     The Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President and Central Coast, Illawarra, Newcastle, Sydney Central, Sydney Central West, Sydney Inner West, Sydney Outer West, Sydney North, Sydney South, Sydney South West and Senior Officers’ Sub-Branch officials will each be paid the ‘local’ organising allowance of $1,786 (representing 5,000 kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar);

and further, in order to provide for the payment of another official who temporarily acts in lieu of a State Secretary on leave, that a new sub-paragraph (i) be inserted to read:

i) the State Committee of Management may resolve to authorise another official to exercise some or all of the State Secretary’s powers and duties under Rule 19 for a defined period while the State Secretary is on leave, in which case that official shall be entitled to an additional pro-rata payment equivalent to the difference between that official’s combined remuneration under this policy and the income received from their primary employer over that defined period (ie, their combined ordinary income) and the State Secretary’s salary.

so that the amended Policy then reads as follows:

That State Committee of Management officials who are not otherwise employed by the Union (eg, the State Secretary) shall be entitled to and paid the following annual allowances:

a) a base allowance (flat) of $4,813 per annum in recognition of the time that State Committee officials are expected to dedicate to attending to their duties as Union officers including State Committee of Management meetings, meetings with the Department, organising for the Union and attending to member issues, etc., and in recompense for any and all expenses incurred by those officials in attending to same; and

b) an annual meeting allowance (dependant upon each official’s place of residence) in recognition of and recompense for the cost of travel to and from the duties referred to at point (a). This will be an arbitrary rather than actual figure based on 18 return journeys between the official’s residence and the Union’s Sydney Office, which will be calculated by multiplying that return distance by 18 and then multiplying that figure by the Award’s specified journey rate (currently set at 35.72¢ per km) and rounding the result up to the next nearest whole dollar. To avoid doubt, the most direct route by car, as calculated by the website maps.google.com.au will be used to determine the return distance; and

c) an annual organising allowance (two rates) to allow for and facilitate the visitation by officials of members’ workplaces within their respective areas of responsibility, as follows:

i) The Country and Retained Sub-Branch officials will each be paid the ‘regional’ organising allowance of $7,144 (representing 20,000kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar); and
ii) The President shall be paid the ‘state’ organising allowance of $3,572 (representing 10,000kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar); and
iii) The Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President and Central Coast, Illawarra, Newcastle, Sydney Central, Sydney Central West, Sydney Inner West, Sydney Outer West, Sydney North, Sydney South, Sydney South West and Senior Officers’ Sub-Branch officials will each be paid the ‘local’ organising allowance of $1,786 (representing 5,000 kms x the Award’s specified journey rate of 35.72¢ per km, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar;

d) payment of the three annual allowances set out at points (a), (b) and (c) above will be combined and then divided by 12 to arrive at a monthly allowance which will be paid to each official on the last Friday of each month;

e) the base allowance at point (a) will be increased in line with increases in Union membership dues, rounded up to the next nearest whole dollar;

f) this policy rescinds and replaces all previous decisions concerning State Committee officials’ allowances and entitlements and subject to points (g), (h) and (i), is intended to meet all of the costs and expenses that State Committee officials are expected and/or required to incur in the performance of their duties, save for any wages which may be lost due to an official’s need to take leave without pay from their primary employer in order to attend a meeting of the State Committee of Management;

g) it is expressly provided in the interests of financial and political probity that, subject to points (h) and (i), neither the State Secretary nor the State Committee of Management may approve any payment for or on behalf of any official outside of this policy and that any official who considers him/her self to be out of pocket as a result of this policy will be both entitled and encouraged to make a submission setting out the amount of that shortfall, and the reasons for same, to that year’s Annual General Meeting, which will in turn decide to:

i) reimburse the official for the full amount of the claimed shortfall; or
ii) reimburse the official, but for a reduced amount; or
iii) decline the official’s claim.

h) officials who attend meetings of the State Executive Committee and/or State Committee of Management may be provided meals and refreshments of the same standard as that provided to members who attend Union training courses or similar events;

i) the State Committee of Management may resolve to authorise another official to exercise some or all of the State Secretary’s powers and duties under Rule 19 for a defined period while the State Secretary is on leave, in which case that official will be paid an additional pro-rata allowance equivalent to the difference between that official’s combined remuneration under this policy and the income received from their primary employer (ie, their combined ordinary income) and the salary payable to the State Secretary over that defined period.“

Jim Casey
State Secretary