I rejoined the Media Alliance this week after a break of 15 years. We had an active sub-branch when I worked in Gippsland as a young reporter and I was a member from 1987 to 1992.
I recall persuading the boss at Bairnsdale to let a group of us take a company car to a meeting in Morwell. I proceeded to run into a cow in the fog at Cowwarr of all places. It came through the windscreen, shattering glass over me and my colleague.
The social part of the Australian Journalists Association, as it was then named, was the best aspect (apart from colliding with cows). I did call on the union to represent me once in a dispute and the organiser did a good job.
I resigned after I started in management at Ceduna in 1992. I was actually keen to stay, but there was a stuff-up transferring my membership from Victoria to South Australia and I lost patience.
So why did I rejoin? It’s not cheap and I won’t be calling on the union to represent me personally again.
I’m interested to see if the communications and networking provide a benefit. One of my reporters has used her contacts to help with recruiting and there could be some value in that.
We also have a new enterprise bargaining agreement due to be negotiated later this year. I’m keen for that to be a co-operative mutually beneficial process and my empathy for collective bargaining might help to create a non-adversarial climate for that to occur.
