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2022 AGM – Meetings and Agenda

October 25, 2022

As per the AGM Notice sent out on October 2, the Union’s 112th Annual General Meeting will be held, commencing next week.

The AGM’s agenda can also be found in the online version of this notice. The meetings confirmed to date are as set out in the table below.

Members are reminded that as per Rule 11, the opening section meeting is the only meeting at which motions may be amended.

A list of all the Meetings and times can be found here

Retained and Country Sub-Branch members may meet locally (but once only) at any time between 1830 hours on Monday 31 October and finished by 0930 hours on Tuesday 8 November provided that:

  1. a) A quorum of at least seven financial Union members will be present throughout the course of the meeting; and
  2. b) Written notice of your intention to hold a local meeting together with the proposed time, date and location is received by the Union office by no later than 1200 hours on Friday 25 October. The details of all such meetings will then be posted to the Union’s website by 1800 hours that day.

Note that any financial Union member (permanent or retained) may attend any Sub-Branch meeting and vote (once only) on any General Meeting question; even if they are not a member of the Sub-Branch that is meeting. 

 

112th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA

Adoption of Minutes

That the draft minutes of the Union’s 111th Annual General Meeting, held on Saturday 30 October 2021, as tabled and circulated prior to this meeting, be received, noted and adopted as a true and correct record of that meeting.

State Secretary’s Annual Report

Auditors Report on FBEU Accounts

Motions

Recission of General Meeting decision regarding the UFUA

Moved: Com. Drury                    Seconded: Com.

That the State Secretary’s report on the UFUA and its recent efforts to change its rules which may impact FBEU members and the liability of the current general meeting decision to “meet a debt that is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction” be received and noted and resolves to rescind the motion below:

‘That effective on and from 1 July 2010, the Union is to cease forwarding any funds to the United Firefighters Union of Australia and/or its NSW Branch until:

  1. a)         the NSW Branch is unable to meet a debt that is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to be paid, in which case the FBEU shall forward such amount to the NSW Branch as is necessary for the NSW Branch to comply with that order; or
  2. b) confirmation of the UFUA’s adoption and the Fair Work Commission’s subsequent certification of the following amendments to Rules 29 and 34 of the UFUA’s Rules:

 

29 – MONEYS ALLOCATED TO NATIONAL FUND

The monies of the Union which are allocated to the National fund shall consist of:-

(1)        (a)     With effect from the 1st July, 1997 20XX, an amount of 0.045% per annum of the 

annual wage rate of the Firefighter Level 1 in New South Wales as at the 31st December in each year 10% of 1 financial unit, which shall be paid quarterly in arrears by each Branch quarterly to the National Secretary in respect of each full time firefighter Branch member who is not a part time firefighter as contained so described in the certified audit of Branch membership in accordance with Sub-Rule 10(1)(e).

(b)     With effect from the 1st July, 1997 2010, an amount of 0.009% per annum of the  annual wage rate of the Firefighter Level 1 in New South Wales as at the 31st December in each year 2% of 1 financial unit, which shall be paid quarterly in arrears by each Branch quarterly to the National Secretary in respect of each part time firefighter Branch member who is so described in the certified audit of Branch membership in accordance with Sub-Rule 10(1)(e).

(2)        Moneys received by the Union –

(a)      in respect of national levies imposed by the National Committee of Management;

(b)     in respect of fines imposed by the National Committee of Management;

(c)      as donations to the Union;

(d)     as a result of the activities of the National Administration or National employees;

(e)      as a result of the exercise of their powers under these Rules by the National Administration;

(f)      which under these Rules are not allocated to any Branch.

(3)        Each branch of the Union shall pay the monies referred to in this rule on or before the quarter days, which shall be the last days of the months of March, June, September and December. 

(3)        In this Rule, “financial unit” means the monetary amount equivalent to 5% of the weekly rate of pay of a Senior Firefighter in Fire and Rescue NSW as at 1 July in each year, rounded upwards to the nearest dollar. An amount calculated by reference to “financial units” is inclusive of any applicable GST.

(4)        Notwithstanding anything in any other Rule and in particular Rules 13 and 49, this Rule shall not be amended, altered or rescinded unless also agreed to by a resolution of every Branch Committee of Management.

34 – NATIONAL LEVIES

(1)        The National Committee of Management may by resolution impose national levies upon all Branches, but not upon a single Branch, of up to an amount equivalent to, up to but not exceeding the amount payable by those Branches in a given year under Sub-Rules 29(1)(a) and (b) 10% of 1 financial unit per Branch member per quarter to raise money for the objects of the Union, provided that Branches shall be required to meet only 20% of each such levy per part time firefighter Branch member. Nothing in this Rule shall prevent the imposition of levies of an amount below the maximum allowable being collected over a period less than 12 months. 

(2)        A resolution of the National Committee of Management under this Rule is binding upon the Branches. No resolution of a Branch Committee of Management or Branch meeting shall be effective to avoid liabilities imposed by the National Committee of Management in accordance with this Rule.

The total amount of all national levies upon Branches in any financial year shall not exceed the amount payable by those Branches in a given year under Sub-Rules 29(1)(a) and (b).

(3)        No national levy shall be imposed under this Rule (or otherwise) unless also agreed to by a resolution of every Branch Committee of Management. To avoid doubt, this Rule shall not prevent the imposition of a branch levy by a Branch Committee of Management under Rule 81.

(4)        Notwithstanding anything in any other Rule and in particular Rules 13 and 49, this Rule shall not be amended, altered or rescinded unless also agreed to by a resolution of every Branch Committee of Management.

And this meeting also resolves the following:

  1. The FBEU will not provide support to the UFUA inclusive of its NSW Branch.
  2. The FBEU will not make application for membership of the UFUA on behalf of persons who become members of the FBEU.
  3. The FBEU will not enter into any arrangement or association whatsoever with the UFUA inclusive of its NSW Branch.
  4. The FBEU does not consider the FBEU to be an associated body of the UFUA within the meaning of that expression as it is contained in the rules of the UFUA.
  5. The FBEU demands of the UFUA that:
    1. references in the UFUA rules to the FBEU (however named) be removed; and
    2. the UFUA cease misrepresenting that a relationship exists, or is likely to exist, with the FBEU

In Unity,

Leighton Drury
State Secretary

You can download a copy of the 2022 AGM – Meetings and Agenda here

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