News

2008 Special General Meeting

August 21, 2008

The clock is now ticking toward the start of the Special Wage Case set down for Monday 25th August.

Yesterday afternoon the Union was informed by the Judge convening the case that this matter will be heard in a closed court. In effect this means that the Union will not be able to report on progress of the case.Will not be permitted to publish affidavits of the evidence relied upon by the Department to support its arguments and will not be permitted to bring anything other than a small contingent of members into the court at any one time.

While this is definitely not what the Union had been expecting or anticipating the Judge running the court is entitled to control the rules surrounding the case and has decided that these are the rules he wants all parties bound by.

The Judge made his position clear to Union representatives yesterday afternoon after the Department informed him that the Union had told members at the Liverpool general meeting – all affidavits would be going up on the Union’s web site. Clearly the Department doesn’t want these affidavits circulated and the Union is now unable to do so. Regardless of whether or not it should choose to do so.

Now more than ever before it is vitally important that all members vote on the resolutions on the agenda for the current series of meetings. All meetings so far have been exceptionally well attended and it is fair to say that members are outraged by the recent conduct of the Department, the Minister and of the Treasurer Michael Costa.

If you care about your job, if you care about your comrades and if you care about the communities that you protect and support, you and the firefighters on your shift should make sure that you come to the meeting at the Trades Hall Auditorium at 10 am on Friday August 22.

Simon Flynn

State Secretary