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Summer 2004

LGH Laundry and Kitchen getting Organised

the LGH Laundry and Kitchen Members are looking to get more active.

Although there have been high levels of union members within these area for some years, members have started to realise that this is not enough. Members have agreed they need to be better organised.

LAUNDRY SETS UP WORKSITE COMMITTEE

Members are therefore in the process of establishing a worksite committee. Nominations have been called for and a number of nominations have been received.

The aim is to get a wide range of representatives onto the new committee so that everyone has someone they feel comfortable approaching and so that there will be someone from the committee on duty almost all the time.

A survey form asking questions about what the union should be focusing on and the level of satisfaction with union activity has been sent out to members.

Interestingly, the result was that the longer the members had been in the union the higher the level of satisfaction. Which is probably a result of the fact that over time most people have cause to look for and receive support from the union.

The laundry workers want to take union activity to the next level.

Recently there has been success in getting a higher duties allowance for people who have been acting as supervisors for some time.

Hopefully more results and a better workplace will result.

KITCHEN GETS UNION ACTIVE

The LGH kitchen is also getting more active, and has set up a HACSU worksite committee in their area. Already they are making progress.

Communication has been improved with a union notice board, where previously there was no central place to distribute information.

Members are gearing up to do union training and more training in health and safety.

There's a very good spread of people on the new worksite committee, which will mean that more people are kept in touch with what's going on and more people will be involved.

In an area that has had a lot of difficulties with management in the past, the new committee will be vital to getting things done into the future.

Carl Taylor, who has worked at the LGH for 15 years is looking to get more involved in union issues. He has done an introductory course on union training and is now looking to do the 2-day course. Carl says that there is a lot of work to do. We have a lot of long term employees in this area and the level of confidence in the union needs to be improved.

Chris Morris is a HACSU member working in the LGH who is very interested in making sure there is a safe workplace. Chris has previously done some OH&S training, and is now looking at doing another course to update his skills.