Have your circumstances changed recently?

Quite often we learn by accident that someone has moved schools, gone on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) or changed their work fraction, and we have to chase them up to find out the new details.  Invariably, their response is, “I thought the department would have told you.”

Unfortunately they can't tell us!

The Privacy Act prevents them giving out personal information on their employees to anyone – and that includes the union.

Also with over 22,500 teachers, the Department of Education simply has no idea who is a member of the union and who isn't – therefore it's impossible for the department to notify us of any changes.

The exception to this is that once a year we ask the department to update some of the details of our members. 

This way we can learn of new workplaces, salary grades and work fractions without you telling us. 

But this is the only time we get anything from them.

If you have recently:

•  changed address,
•  moved worksite,
•  changed salary level,
•  changed work fraction,
•  been approved to take LWOP,
•  changed bank account or credit card details (including expiry date), please let us know as soon as possible.

Note that, since your fees are calculated as a percentage of your gross salary, as your salary level changes so will your fees. 

If you move up four or five levels over the years without letting us know, you may be hit with a large increase in fees all at once.

It would be easier on you if you inform us of each small increase.

Just to remind you, if you are on LWOP, you can apply to have payment of your membership fees suspended for the duration of that leave. 

However, we will need to see a copy of the letter from the department approving it, to confirm the dates.

If you are late in notifying us of any changes, the adjustment of your fees will take place from the date of that notification and cannot be backdated. 

Any request for reimbursement of excess fees paid due to late notification may be submitted to the union Executive with supporting documents and will be considered on a merit basis. 

There is no automatic entitlement to any refund.

The more accurate our records are, the more smoothly our organisation can run.  Please help us by keeping us up to date on your circumstances.