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and that a period of hospitalisation was involved, further.
medical tests were required followed by a period of
recuperation at home. Clearly, ‘sick leave’ is applicable,
and the publishers don’t’ take issue with that, or with
officials taking compassionate leave as appropriate.

What is objectionable of course, is that the two elected
officials have seen fit to lie, or at the very least, mislead
the members on the facts of the matter – why on earth
The rank & file newsletter focused on Qld branch and would they do so, we just don’t know. In any event such
national MUA policy & direction. conduct is to be called out. Remember, you don’t lie to

Edition #12 June 18 - 2021 the members. Ever!

Our take on Branch reports to members…. Our next story concerns relieving official Mike O’Shane
and his report to members in the same Qld Branch News
It’s a little-known fact that during Tas Bull’s leadership, which comprised his earlier speech at the May Day
when new people particularly those from outside of the celebrations in Gladstone. It was an extensive speech of
membership started at the National Office of the WWF, about 1500 words, well expressed and well written.
Tas would take them aside for a friendly chant, his main
core message being “don’t ever lie to our members”. This There’s only one problem. We have enough previous
was usually followed by a dire warning that “if you do tell correspondence, emails, and reports from Mike to know
lies to our member, don’t bother coming back to the the May Day speech was not solely his work. At best,
office!” there was a great deal of collaboration with others on the
finished article. There is absolutely no problem with
For Tas, it was quite simple, officials could make obtaining assistance or collaborating with others to
mistakes, stuff up or get something plain wrong and be produce a finished piece of work. Our issue relates to the
forgiven. However, the membership has a right to expect taking of credit for the work of others, in his union role.
their officials would never knowingly lie or mislead them.
A ‘pact’ if you will, between members and their elected We accept its more likely to be the case of not thinking
union officials. through the consequences of not acknowledging some
assistance, rather than any deliberate attempt to mislead
This is a timely reminder of standards of conduct his fellow union members. All that was required was an
expected of officials, especially considering a number of opening sentence acknowledging “this speech has been
reports within the recent editions of the Queensland developed in collaboration with members of my family and
Branch News which included a number of porkies. /or community and/or the union, as appropriate.” On
reflection, Mike O’Shane might consider he would have
Admittedly, neither of them on this occasion greatly obtained more pride in delivering the speech with that
impact on member interests. Nevertheless, once you start inclusion. Senior officials should have ensured he did so.
being loose with the truth, it becomes easier to justify the
next time, even on matters of a far more critical nature – Historical Facts..
for that reason, they need to be called out!
Our next story in this article is more a correction of
A case in point concerns the Acting Branch Secretary’s historical fact and concerns the April Special Edition of
report in the June 8 edition of the Qld Branch News that the Qld Branch News dedicated to the award of life
in the previous week he had taken “ compassionate leave, membership by long-serving Branch Secretary Mick Carr.
to attend some unforeseen personal matters”.
Carr recounts that in 1993 he had the opportunity to travel
In our last R&F edition, we reported on the Acting Branch around the State inspecting port authorities’ operations
Secretary’s absence on sick leave. This prompted a with Tas Bull, who was preparing submissions and
demand from the Assistant Branch Secretary Paul evidence for the case. He said the Commission favoured
Gallagher that we retract our claim that the Acting Branch the Maritime Union and the decision ran to 300 pages –
Secretary was on sick leave because - he was absent on “It was very satisfying to go down to Fisherman Island and
compassionate leave at the time. sign-up workers who previously were covered by land-
based Union with no port affiliation”.
Compassionate leave usually relates to close family
matters, such as a death in the family, or sick child, or Mick Carr may well have travelled up and down the Qld
spouse for example. In other words, the event relates to with Tas Bull leading up to the amalgamation, but it was
another person. Sick leave becomes due in such most certainly not for the purposes of Tas Bull preparing
circumstances relating to ill health or injury (other than submissions and evidence for the port authority case.
work related) of the employee concerned. That work was carried out almost entirely by Greg
Combet, then WWF Industrial Officer and the ACTU-
Upon checking our sources, a number of members have based Waterfront Unions Research Unit.
confirmed each other’s reports that they were informed by
officials, that the Acting Branch Secretary had fallen ill, Page.1