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LEGALHELP<br />
YOU ARE NOT ALONE<br />
The <strong>TWU</strong> proudly offers legal representation to our members. No one thinks they’re going to lose their<br />
job or run into legal issues, but when they do, they have the <strong>TWU</strong> to back them up. One of our members<br />
wrote in to share his experience with us:<br />
People often ask me, “Why are you in a<br />
union, what do they do for you?” and I<br />
respond by saying that unions redress the<br />
employer - employee power imbalance.<br />
This simply means that I am not<br />
alone in the workplace. Most of the<br />
workplace conditions we enjoy today<br />
can be directly attributed to union<br />
activities over the years.<br />
I am approaching 60. I had been an<br />
employee since 2006 for a family-owned<br />
kitchen component supply manufacturing<br />
firm. For legal reasons that firm can’t be<br />
named but let’s call them Dodgy Bros.<br />
I was employed as a warehouse<br />
supervisor. Over the years I had sought<br />
and was given verbal permission to take<br />
dunnage (rubbish pallet wood) from the<br />
site. You just had to ask the Boss.<br />
Then one day, the dynamics in the<br />
company shifted.<br />
The national DC manager left and one<br />
of the family members took over the role.<br />
During this time a number of changes<br />
took place one of which (without my<br />
knowledge) meant that I had to fill out<br />
a little paper form to take dunnage. Not<br />
knowing this cost me my job!<br />
One lunchtime, I was called into<br />
the Boss’ office. There was no written<br />
warning and I was just immediately<br />
dismissed!<br />
I contacted Grant Rodger, our <strong>TWU</strong><br />
rep. He contacted Dodgy Bros’ HR but<br />
they stood by their decision. The Union<br />
interviewed me, filed an unfair dismissal<br />
claim with the Fair Work Commission on<br />
my behalf and put the evidence to the<br />
Commission.<br />
Dodgy Bros then suddenly contacted<br />
the <strong>TWU</strong> legal team and offered to<br />
delete the dismissal and offer a letter of<br />
resignation and a letter of service. They<br />
knew that this rash decision by the Boss<br />
wouldn’t hold water with the Commission<br />
but they stupidly still stood by his actions.<br />
In the meantime, I was applying for<br />
jobs. Being 59 in the job market has<br />
its challenges but 57 days from being<br />
dismissed I had a new job. While all this<br />
was going on, Dodgy Bros offered me a<br />
paltry $1000 resignation and a letter of<br />
service which I refused to accept.<br />
This drawn-out process continued for<br />
almost three months before Dodgy Bros<br />
company buckled and I was offered a<br />
lot more money by the company as the<br />
deadline of the hearing at the Fair Work<br />
Commission approached.<br />
I took the settlement and I feel my<br />
reputation has been restored, thanks<br />
to the hard work of Grant Rodger and<br />
the <strong>TWU</strong> legal team at the Parramatta<br />
office who stuck by me the whole time.<br />
If I wasn’t a member of the <strong>TWU</strong>, my<br />
reputation would be trashed and I know I<br />
would be in a financial mess.<br />
There’s one simple reason to be in the<br />
<strong>TWU</strong> – you’ll never stand alone.<br />
<strong>TWU</strong>NSW.ORG.AU<br />
FACEBOOK.COM/<strong>TWU</strong>NSW<br />
<strong>TWU</strong>NEWS SUMMER <strong>2015</strong> | 21
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