News

2010 September SGM Meeting

September 17, 2010

A Special General Meeting of members will be held at the Union Office auditorium at 1-7 Belmore Street, Surry Hills on Thursday 30 September commencing at 1000 hours.

Notice and details of corresponding Sub-Branch Meetings will be distributed to respective Sub-Branch workplaces separately in the coming week.

Agenda

• Adoption of 2009 AGM Minutes

“That the draft minutes of the 99th Annual General Meeting held 25 November 2009, as tabled and circulated to all members via the Union’s website prior to this meeting be received, noted and adopted as a true and correct record of that meeting.”

• State Secretary’s Report
• Questions on Notice

1           2011 Awards

“That the undated correspondence from the Department that was received 11 August 2010 which advises that the Department is unable to commence wage negotiations until it receives approval to do so from the Government’s Budget Committee and which then asks ‘whether the Union would be seeking a 2.5 per cent annual salary increase provided by the policy or additional increases above 2.5 per cent which are tied to employee related cost savings’ be received, noted and rejected on both counts:

on the first point due to:

a)       this State Committee’s refusal to accept that the timing of negotiations can be determined solely by the employer; and

b)       recognition that negotiations for the last award round commenced 12 months before the awards were finally settled, and even then that required arbitration by a Full Bench of the Commission;

and on the second point due to the State Committee’s rejection of the Government’s Public Sector Wages Policy because:

c)       an annual 2.5 per cent increase fails to provide real wage maintenance; and

d)       wage increases beyond this unrealistically low figure should not be funded through the loss of workers’ jobs and/or conditions of employment;

and that State Committee therefore directs the State Secretary to arrange for the filing of new Permanent and Retained Award applications with the IRC as soon as possible, with both new awards to operate for three years from the date of expiration of the current awards and to provide for across the board annual increases of 5 per cent in wages and relevant allowances.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

2           United Firefighters Union of Australia

2a         Policy statement

“That the:

• State Secretary’s report on the failed mediation between the Union and the UFUA’s National Officers in attempted settlement of Federal Court proceedings brought against the Union’s officials by the UFUA in December 2009; and
• the previous resolution of a Special General Meeting of members to cease the forwarding of any funds to the UFUA’s NSW Branch by 30 June 2010; and
• the recent adoption of Rule amendments to excise any all reference to the UFUA from the Union’s Rules; and
• the UFUA’s turbulent history, paucity of achievement and disturbingly wayward direction, including its recent stripping of NSW Branch voting rights whilst seeking to increase Branch capitation fees by 150%; and
• resignation of almost 5,000 Union members from the UFUA in less than ten weeks;

be received and noted and that in consideration of same, and this meeting’s conclusion that the UFUA remains incapable of much-needed reform, this meeting:

• declares the UFUA to be a failed, self-serving organisation that has achieved little if any practical benefit for Australia’s rank and file firefighters;
• recommends that those remaining Union members who still hold membership of  UFUA’s NSW Branch should now resign their UFUA membership;
• records its in-principle support for the establishment of a new federation of and for Australian firefighters; and
• resolves to continue to build effective links between the FBEU and other unions and organisations in the interests of firefighters and working people more broadly, both nationally and internationally.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

2b        Indemnity for FBEU members, officials and staff

“That the Union indemnify all FBEU members, officials and staff from any penalties, fines or costs (including legal costs) or any other adverse result arising from the proceedings brought by Peter Marshall and/or the United Firefighters Union of Australia in:

a)       The Federal Court proceedings numbered VID 915 of 2009 and VID 326 of 2010; and

b)       The threatened defamation action contained in correspondence from Peter Marshall’s solicitors dated 23 August 2010.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

3.          Procedural motions to be dealt with in advance of Centenary AGM

3b        Appointment of auditors

“That in accordance with Rule 4, this meeting appoints the accounting firm BDO Audit (NSW-VIC) Pty Ltd as the Union’s auditors for a further period of two years and until the 2012 Annual General Meeting is held.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

3b        Returning Officer’s honorarium

“That in accordance with Rule 22(7), this meeting endorses the payment of the Returning Officer’s annual honorarium of $400 for the 12 month period following the 2009 AGM.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

3c         Appointment of Returning Officer

“That in accordance with Rule 22(1), this meeting appoints Comrade Graeme Ottley as Returning Officer for the 12 months through until the Union’s 2011 Annual General Meeting.”

State Committee of Management recommendation: SUPPORT

·            Meeting Close

Jim Casey

State Secretary