The Federation is encouraging members to switch over the way they pay their fortnightly union subscriptions. Currently many members have their union subscriptions paid directly by the employer (eg. Department of Education and Training) to the Federation. However, there have been occasions in the past when various governments have either threatened or have actually taken away this method of payment in an attempt to punish the Federation during one of its campaigns.

The most memorable example of this was in 1994 when Virginia Chadwick, the then Minister for Education in a previous Liberal government, cut off without warning, members’ payroll deduction. This was at the height of a protracted salaries campaign. This tactic of course back-fired on the then government and teachers in schools got angry at such a blatant attack on their rights as workers to belong to a trade union. Deductions were eventually restored and backdated by the then government so no member became unfinancial. The Federation pledged that never again would it be in a situation that allowed governments of any political persuasion to threaten the financial and therefore industrial effectiveness of the union. The Federation immediately began negotiations with the NSW Teachers Credit Union and DET’s salary section to facilitate an effective method of changing deductions from the employer’s payroll system to the NSW Teachers Credit Union direct debit system.

These have been in place since the end of 1996 and Federation has slowly moved members across to this method of payment. The system works well and many full-time, permanent part-time and casual teacher members now pay by this method.

Federation knows from teacher unions in other states that conservative governments have, in their industrial relations legislation, abolished payroll deductions by employing authorities.

In NSW, unions have largely been protected by Jeff Shaw’s industrial relations legislation over the past few years so the imperative to move the bulk of the membership across to another form of fortnightly payment has not been great. However as we are in different political circumstances in the content of our salaries and status campaign and other disputes with the DET and the State Government, it is sensible for individual members to consider switching their payment method. Members who have their deductions paid directly by payroll are encouraged to switch over to having their fortnightly deductions paid by direct debit from the NSW Teachers Credit Union.

Want to switch over your union subscriptions?

1. Do you currently have a S1 NSW Teachers Credit Union account? If not, please contact the NSW Teachers Credit Union on 13 12 21 and they will arrange to send you material to open an account.

2. Fill in the Make the switch form with your details and RETURN TO THE FEDERATION. Make the switch forms are available from Federation or your Organiser and will soon be sent to your Federation Representative.

This allows Federation to set up the change-over with both the employer and the Credit Union and keep track of your payments. The Federation will have your deductions stopped with the payroll section of the employer and direct debit started with the Credit Union automatically.

3. Each month on your Teachers Credit Union statement you will see the payment of your union sub-scriptions. These payments do not count for the purposes of any excess transaction charge that the Teachers Credit Union may charge.

4. At the end of the financial year the Federation will post to every member, who has Teachers Credit Union deductions of Federation subscriptions, a statement of the fees paid by the individual in the financial year by this method of payment.

Please return the form to the Federation’s membership section and Federation will arrange the switch to the NSW Teachers Credit Union. If you have any further inquiries about this or require further information please contact the membership section.