Do you have to be a union member to get the increases and benefits?
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- Published: Monday, 26 June 2023 12:29
The Little Red Hen was a story written in the late 19th century in an anthropomorphic farmyard where the Little Red Hen asks her friends to help plant the wheat, help cut the wheat, help thresh the wheat, help take the wheat to the mill and help make the flour into bread. They all refuse, the Duck, the Cat, and the Dog all say, “not I”, and the Little Red Hen says, “then I will”.
She then made and baked the bread and said, “who will eat this bread” and her lazy freeloading friends all said, “I will”. And the Little Red Hen said “no, no! I will do that”. And she did.
It’s a morality tale but it wouldn’t be in depaNews if we didn’t see the moral of all you good union members paying fees to fund the negotiation of a new award, and your workplace “friends” who don’t do so, still expecting to share the benefits.
When the Award is negotiated every three years, the unions always argue that it should be union members only. The unions negotiate it, growing the wheat, threshing it, making the bread etc, and those who aren’t union members should pay something to share in the improvements negotiated effectively on their behalf. A fee equivalent to the membership fee to the unions who have negotiated this, for example.
It’s always a joyful argument, particularly when LGNSW makes a point of not providing any services at all to councils that aren’t a member of that organisation. We think that’s the right approach, and the principal that underpins it should be reflected in the Award. Clearly what is good for the goose isn’t accepted to be good for the gander.
Given the significant improvements in this Award, now is a good time to remind your freeloading colleagues that this isn’t a present.It’s not a gift from the Councils, nor the unions with their best wishes, but something that was negotiated by unions which are resourced only by fees paid by members.
Try making a claim at BUPA for medical costs if you ‘re not a member, and see how that goes!