The Union recently became aware of a document which is currently being circulated by fax entitled “Beginning of a New Era in Superannuation: New Deal Accepted for all Super Members” dated 8th February 2001.
This document did NOT originate from the FBEU Office and it is NOT a factual account of the current status of the Death & Disability Dispute. The fact remains that the Union and the Government remain in dispute with respect to Death & Disability Benefits for Firefighters. Indeed the date of the forged document is somewhat ironic given that the Union and Government appeared before the Industrial Relations the next day, Friday 9th February to report that there was still no agreement.
Members should be aware that the Union will NOT be accepting any offer until it has met with the approval of a General Meeting of members.
Whoever has produced and distributed the material referred to above was clearly not acting on the interests of our Union. As members would be aware, notices issued from the Union office (even by fax) are authorised and signed by an official of the Union. The document in question is, by contrast, a rather poor effort at imitating the layout of notices as they appear on the Union’s website.
Whilst material such as this will not in any way compromise the Union’s D & D campaign, it may mean that the Union will have to insist upon returning to a system of mailing out Union Notices, which will of course involve the additional costs and time delays associated with the postal service. Ultimately, it is imperative that Union members can have faith in the origin of Union Notices.
At any rate, the current status of the Death & Disability Dispute is this; the Union is now in the process of providing a written appraisal of how the Government’s latest position fails to address the Union’s concerns. There appears to have been some progress made in that the Government has for the first time conceded the possibility of a new superannuation scheme for firefighters, although there have been no details negotiated as yet on any such scheme . The Union will present it’s arguments when the parties next appear before the IRC on Friday 23rd February 2001, and a General Meeting of members is expected to be called shortly thereafter.
