But wait, there is a happy note from Taree

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Published: Monday, 12 December 2011 15:56

The issue that led to the clumsy investigation by the Council of our delegate and Manager Jim Boyce last year was a generous gift by members to Jim. It was a generous acknowledgement for his time and effort in having all of our positions upgraded in a lengthy exercise using the 00Soft job evaluation system and resulting in significant pay increases to all members. Basically when the positions were evaluated after 1992 they were all placed on one level below where they should be in the Award.

Some people at the Council found it unbelievable that employees, happy with the results of Jim’s work and enthusiastic to recognise it, would reward him with a generous cash gift. No one ever rewarded them!

In the end, Jim provided the money to depa to keep in trust and we, in turn, gave him $200 of that back to satisfy the spirit of the appreciation of the members.

Some of the money was paid out in strike pay to members taking industrial action and some was left.

We have just negotiated an agreed departure from Jim from Taree. Covered by a Deed of Release we are both unable and reluctant to disclose its contents.

But in a recent conversation with Jim I mentioned the absolute joy of seeing whales migrating down the coast while I was at Port Macquarie.  Jim agreed and any of you who have done similarly will know what a fabulous experience it is. Tempered, of course, by the knowledge that the whales and their calves are migrating to the Southern Ocean to be chased by Japanese whalers and potentially killed under some bogus scientific whaling excuse.

Jim decided that the remainder of the money should be donated to Sea Shepherd to assist them in their current Operation Divine Wind to try to ensure that this whaling season in the Southern Ocean is the last.  

Thanks Jim, the donation has been made on your behalf and that of the members at Taree responsible for your gift.