Michael Donovan, State Secretary of the SDA, is presently circulating a news bulletin titled "UNSIGNED BULLETINS". Below is our response:
Firstly, the RRR SDA GROUP is not affiliated in any way with any trade union or organisation. It is not there to promote itself or individuals but to encourage fellow SDA members to take an interest in the unions' future.
We have stated on numerous occasions that we are lacking in resources. All of our newsletters to date have carried a request for people to photocopy and pass on.
Our new blog site has been set up to allow SDA members the opportunity to express their opinions and to assist them to run campaigns for elected positions without incurring any individual cost as working people do no have the access that Mr. Donovan has to unlimited funds. He has viciously attacked the Meat Workers Union. We are aware that there are a large number of meat workers who are dissatisfied working under SDA agreements, in particular, the recent secret deal negotiated with Woolworths in Victoria.
There are many groups of people who are dissatisfied working under the SDA sub standard agreements. They are shop assistants, bakers, fruit & veg workers, office staff, warehouse workers and as of late, the McDonald's works; whose agreement was so bad that Fair Work Australia refused to register it. (In fact, a large number of the Australian population are dissatisfied and disappointed by the current SDA agreements).
We will not affiliate or be indebted to any union. We seek not and would not accept any financial assistance as this may result in compromising our independent objectives.
We do intend to approach various organisations for assistance in promoting the blog site where people can gain access to credible facts and information.
Mr. Donovan, in his latest newsletter, talk about protecting conditions and winning wage increases. Let's address these myths:
The wage increases are less than any other union manages to achieve. He talks about protecting penalty rates - I would remind you Mr. Donovan, you gave away the penalty rates. What penalty applies after 6:00pm? What penalty applies on Saturday? You reduced our 200% on Sunday, to 150%. You also reduced casual loading from 25% to 20% - ALL REDUCTIONS!
I must ask the question again, the EMPLOYERS SAVED a lot of money and the EMPLOYEES LOST a lot of money - so HOW DID YOU PROTECT OUR PENALTY RATES? I think in future correspondence you should remove any reference to penalty rates, as workers who have been employed in retail over a long period of time are aware that you are unable to protect them.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOTIVATION??????
We look forward to the time when you are voted out.
Our group takes this opportunity to thank our willing volunteers who have assisted with the delivery of our newsletter. SDA shop stewards and store management have been confiscating our past newsletter. Australia is supposed to be a free country where all people have a right to free speech - both written and spoken.
FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED FROM OUR BLOG SPOT: http://reformsda.blogspot.com
WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN EMPLOYERS WILL NO LONGER REFER TO THE SDA AS "OUR UNION"
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I was a member of the SDA for a long time. Fortunately I found another job with better pay & conditions & I am now in another union. The SDA ruins conditions for the NUW as well when they can. If we want to improve workers conditions Donovan and his mates are as useless as the day is long. I am pleased to see your efforts. But i think you should accept donations, because no worker benefits from the SDA staying useless and corrupt. Best wishes
ReplyDeleteThere have been a number of people of good will who have contacted the blog spot and offered support to both help advertise the blog spot and provide financial assistance. The blog is monitored on a continuous basis and the identity of these people has been removed at their request to maintain their anonymity.
ReplyDeleteWhat we had failed to declare in our declaration was that we will definitely not be accepting any monetary donations from anybody connected with an employer or company group. Our aim is to not to be beholding or indebted to this group as they will surely want to keep the agreements at a low point as against our aim to restore what we once had.
Good on the RRR SDA group for doing what they are doing to upset the current millitant group of the SDA's upper management, ít's about time someone stood up to them, i for one am sick of the ongoing corruption within the SDA and how it affects my workplace, we have a SDA elected OH&S officer, who is completly useless at there job, they are best friends with the store management and when they are asked to follow anything up they simply don't because they can't remove themselves from their own little world and act decisivly as is required from an OH&S rep. Furthermore the corruption of the SDA is shown in there methods of recruitment, i've seen numerous instaces of bully for SDA officers when trying to get membership, one such instance was when a young 15 year old kid was cornered by the SDA officer at an induction and essentailly threatened with the possible loss of his job if he didn't the SDA to represent him, if this doesn't represent the extent that the SDA will go to in order to get memebers then i don't know what will, in closing keep it going whoever is running this RRR SDA, you've obvuously touched a nerve with those right wingers in Donovan the Vic state secretary and with his mate in crime Joe De-Bryne the National Secretary
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Angus McPearce
I must applaud Angus on speaking up, I only hope he doesn’t fall pry to the SDA’s resources and become a victim in its efforts to silence those who speak out against Donovan and De Bruyn and there little club of dedicated DLP, right wing supporters. I myself am a department manager for Coles, and have fallen victim to the loss of my rights as an individual under the Coles/SDA EBA, it started with been asked to work 1 weekend in 4, I thought ok no problems, I can handle that I enjoy my job and get a great deal of satisfaction out of running my department, then it changed to every second weekend, this crippled my life, my then fiancé was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with me not been able to spend time with her, I calmed her down and explained that it can’t get any worse, I’m only trying to help them and work with them, well it did get worse, they then told me I had to work late nights as well, that was it for my fiancé, she left me then and there, since this I have tried to commit suicide twice and am currently getting help from my physiologist to help get my life back on track, I have to take anti-depressants everyday now and still fall into deep depression just thinking about it, as I am at the moment. I write this not to necessarily complain but to help to inspire those who want change and are fighting for it. Give us back our rights SDA its ok for you working your Monday to Friday jobs but your members are out there working hours that are only acceptable in a third world country, helping you line your pockets with funds to re-elect your beloved Michael Donovan and Joe De Bruyn.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
A formally faithful SDA member
Now loyal to the RRR SDA movement
Well there you have it Mr Donovan.
ReplyDeleteWe all know you are monitoring this site , so what is your responce. Come on Donovan this is your big opertunity.
You have a very seriouse issue here, are you going to address it !
A GOOD UNION would address this issue !
a GOOD UNION like would help workers in this situation !
a GOOD UNION would be on the front foot with this issue and would be running a campain to help this man.
There is no excuss Donovan!
YOUR UNION is the biggest in the contry!
There is no excuss Donovan!
YOUR UNION is the richest in the country and can afford to help this man.
There is no excuss Donovan!
YOUR UNION has a huge say in politics.
You know what the problem is here Donovan,
IT IS YOUR UNION and not the members union.
Reform the SDA now stand up for the working class of this country.
Our SDA represenitive instore has recieved your information RRRSDA in the mail we have discussed the information and visited the blogsite please post more downloadable information on blogsite.
ReplyDeleteDont leave us in Queensland behind as we are sick of SDA too.
We will start to distribute information in Brisbane
The sda are in the pockets of our employers, and its a friggin joke! when your not happy with something and you know you are getting screwed over, and the you say you will call the union, management just laugh, as they know the union will back them and not US the workers.
ReplyDeleteTime and Time again we have lost our penalty rate, public holidays rate, the introduction of non trading day is nothing but a way to get around public holiday rates or time in lieu.
Are the union reps available on weekend or late night???
Time to start another union i believe!!! this one us useless!
We don't want to start a new Union. We want you and like minded people to run for elected positions, then hire the right people and oversee a campaign to restore our conditions.
ReplyDeletei hope Donovan and DE bruyn are thrown out so they can't do to coles butchers wot they did to woolworths butchers.
ReplyDeleteThs only reason they did that to woolworths butchers is because you are all gutless.
ReplyDelete