A bigger, stronger, more influential Union

17 October 2024

Dear  Barry,

Your Branch Committee of Management representatives have just set in motion a proposed change that will secure your Union’s strength and resilience in Western Australia, for generations to come.

Decades-long wars on jobs by employers in our industries have dealt significant blows to some of the core, traditional sections of our Union’s membership. Savage job cuts, unfair and insecure contracting models and technological advancement and disruption have significantly reshaped our industries. 

To stay strong and influential whilst employer groups undergoing such massive change, we must also change the way we operate. Workers across all our covered industries must continue to have quality representation with a seat at the table.

In 2022, the NSW/ACT, QLD and SA/NT Branches combined their resources and assets to form the CWU Central Branch. It operates under the administration of a single Committee of Management which is fair, transparent and proportionally representative of the states and territories those former State Branches represented, along with their respective industry group sections.

Centralising their membership, administration, governance and regulatory reporting obligations, communications and their systems management operations has allowed them to rationalise what was a triplicate operational and regulatory burden, to realise instant and significant savings of their members’ funds.

These savings coupled with a renewed focus on recruitment and growth gave effect to a shift in resources to improve the level of service offered to their existing members, whilst also reducing the membership fees paid by the overwhelming majority of those existing members.

Tonight, your Branch Committee of Management resolved for Western Australia to capitalise on what has been achieved so far and become part of that Central Branch structure.

Doing so will allow important existing local WA based resources to be diverted to improving industrial representation for local members and stimulating growth in membership density.

Additionally, WA members will gain access to the pooled experience and influence of CWU Officials representing members across four different states, and two territories.

Importantly, although day to day operations will be overseen and led centrally under this structure, members in Western Australia will continue to have direct access to, and elect, their local Branch Officials and leadership team. The new proposed CWU Central Branch Committee of Management will also ensure WA members continue to receive fair and proportional representation on the most senior governing body of the proposed new Branch.

Similar to what has already occurred through the amalgamation of the former NSW/ACT, QLD and SA/NT Branches, WA Branch members will also benefit from reduced membership fees, under the current proposal.

We want to hear from you

A lot of hard work has taken place behind the scenes over some time now to develop a blueprint to make Western Australia’s staged operational transition to the Central Branch a reality and to maximise the dividends returned to WA members as a result of that transition.

The leadership teams of both Branches have engaged extensively to ensure what has been proposed would result in Western Australian postal and telecommunications workers having access to the best Union representation possible – and to secure that representation, for generations to come.

However, whilst your full-time Officials and your rank and file Committee of Management representatives have set these wheels in motion, our final decision to proceed will be guided by your direct opinion.

Therefore, we have developed a quick online survey, in order to allow members to share their views on the proposal, with us.

Please click here to complete this survey before next Friday, 25 October, to enable us to ensure your views are considered when the Union’s governing body makes its final decision.

It should only take 30 seconds to complete, and can be done directly from your phone.

In the meantime, should you require any further information, please contact Branch Secretary Barry McVee or Branch Assistant Secretary Clinton Thomas on (08) 9227 9911.