Victorian CWU P&T AGM
13 September, 12 Noon at CWU HQ 75 Melville Road West Brunswick.
The 2024/25 Finance Report of the Victorian CWU P&T Branch is disturbing reading for Victorian CWU members. The two unsustainable trends of the report are 1.Continuing falling union membership which has now declined by over 20% since 2021 and 2 Total salaries of the elected officials of the union increasing by 9.6% in 2024/25 which have also increased by 38% since 2021 .
If the trend of falling membership and 9.6% annual rises in the Total salaries paid to the elected officials continues in 2025/26 and beyond, the future of the Victorian P&T branch of the CWU could be at risk.
The Union Strong Union Active 2025 AGM edition Newsletter which can be seen by clicking the link below contains an analysis of the report and a list of questions about the 2024/25 report for the current Secretary Troy McGuinness to answer.
May Day Rally 2025
The May 4 Sunday May Day rally commencing at 11am provides an opportunity for workers to get together and discuss the key current issues facing us in the never ending class struggle. The class war and class struggle will continue regardless of which party wins the Federal Election on May 3
Terry Costello will be performing a set of begged, borrowed, revamped and stolen working class songs from 11am. Download the words of these songs below and sing along at the rally.
Victorian P&T CWU Branch Meeting 29 March 2025 – Issues
PDO Stand Downs
A number of Postal Delivery Officers, some of whom are members of the union have been stood down at two Delivery Centres. Members at a number of other Delivery Centres are very concerned and want to know what support the union is providing to members who have been stood down. The phrase Touch One Touch All goes to the heart of what genuine unionism is all about.
‘New’ Delivery Model(NDM)
The Australia Post restructure of Delivery otherwise known as the New Delivery Model(NDM) is essentially the Alternating Delivery Model(ADM) in one round. The ADM like the NDM spells the end of 5 days a week mail delivery in Australia.The National CWU along with the dreaded Central Branch and the Victorian CWU P&T branch are enthusiastically assisting Australia Post with the NDM rollout. Indeed the newly appointed Delivery Organizer Liz Wiliams has described the NDM as ‘one of the best reinventions of the wheel (Australia Post) has ever done’
One unsettling characteristic of the NDM is that it is modelled on an 8 Hour Day despite Full Time PDOs working a 37 hours & 45 minute week which equates to a 7 Hours and 21 working day.
Most delivery centres in Victoria have already or are soon to ‘go live’ with the New Delivery Model. The speed up and intensification of work is something that all Postal workers are facing in general with PDO’s in particular bearing the brunt of being expected to do more in less time.
The General Meeting is an opportunity for members to put questions about issues they may have with the NDM and other plans Australia Post has to speed up and intensify of the work done by CWU members..
Work Life Balance under the NDM?
Many Delivery Centres have carried a significant number of vacant rounds. The NDM is only going to work properly if all or nearly all rounds at a delivery centre are filled. The CWU so far has been unable to put adequate pressure on Australia Post to promptly fill vacancies at Delivery Centres.
The two key aspects of the NDM that need to occur are 1. Voluntary Divides to prevent unreasonable overtime that breaches Section 62 of the Fairwork Act and 2. The floor being cleared of mail each day which prevents tied rounds for PDOs returning from leave. All Postal Workers are entitled to have a satisfactory work life balance which means Postal Workers must not be subjected to unreasonable overtime which contravenes Section 62 of the Fairwork Act.
What strategies is the CWU going to implement to ensure that 1. Vacancies at Delivery Centres are promptly filled. 2. Divides are voluntary 3. The mail is cleared every day and 4. Members are not subjected to excessive overtime. The current workplace culture of Australia Post enables PDO’s to be inditimidated into working excessive hours by management.An active organizing union can change the culture of the workplace whilst a passive service union can’t.
Being a Postal Delivery Officer is a physical job at the best of times but forcing Posties to work 10 and 11 hour days is unfair and constitutes a threat to the Health & Safety of Posties.
CWU 24/25 Financial Year draws to a close
The CWU’s 2024/25 Financial year is soon to be ‘done and dusted’ but the CWU members will not see the financial reports for the 24/25 FInancial year until late July at the earliest. Time will tell whether or not the increase in salaries to the elected officials, the appointment of ex secretary Leroy Lazaro as a ‘casual’ & changes in the union’s membership numbers and membership dues will ensure that the Victorian Branch of the CWU remains in deficit.
3 Day Delivery Model
Even before the NDM rollout has been completed another PDO restructure resulting in delivery points receiving a delivery every 3 days is being planned and is waiting in the wings.
Other issues
We Need a Democratic Union
Page 5 of the November 2024 Union Strong Union Active newsletter states a number of ways in which democracy & transparency in the union and the governance of the union can be improved.
Leroy Lazaro ‘departure’
Leroy Lazaro has resigned as secretary with ex Delivery Organiser Troy McGuinness being his replacement. Leroy was appointed to work at the CWU as a ‘casual’ by the BCom in late 2024. The motion appointing Leroy did not state a/ his hourly rate b/ the average number of hours a week he would work c/ Leroy’s likely daily or weekly wage d/ the term of Leroy’s casual employment or e/ whether or not Leroy is provided with fringe benefits such as a motor vehicle. Given the union’s declining financial position over the last 4 years and the spectre of the dreaded Central Branch hanging over the Victorian Branch, these are questions members are entitled to know the answer to.
What Can You Do?
If you are an employee of Australia Post there is a lot that you can do. You can 1/ Discuss the Australia Post restructure and the implications it has for the general public and for the working conditions of Australia Post employees with your fellow workers and with members of your communities, 2/Join the CWU if you are not already a member, 3/Find out what is happening in your workplace and take an active interest in how the restructure is to be implemented in your workplace, 4/ keep an eye on the Union Strong Union Active website and social media pages to stay up to date and 5/ Subscribe to the Union Strong Union Active newsletter at https://union-active.org/subscribe/
union-active.org 