ATA CEO Ben Maguire says TWU has been in arrears since 2017
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has accused the Transport Workers Union (TWU) of being a serial non-payer of dues, in response to the union’s dismissive comments regarding withdrawal of its membership.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine had a dig at the ATA’s direction as an organisation when insisting the union remains a member but ATA CEO Ben Maguire is having none of it, stating that ATA chair Geoff Crouch and he had made representations to the union on the issue, to no avail.
Read how the membership dues story broke, here
“The TWU was sent its 2018 membership invoice on 1 December 2017. It was due and payable on 1 January 2018. This invoice was never paid,” Maguire says.
“The TWU was sent its 2019 membership invoice on 1 December 2018. This invoice was also never paid.
“Geoff Crouch and I met with the TWU several times during 2018 and discussed its outstanding membership fees, without result.
“Part of being a member of an association – whether it’s a union, industry association or a social club – is paying your membership fees when they fall due.
“The TWU chose not to pay their membership fees. We were disappointed by their choice, but keeping the union on our member register would have been unfair to our other members. They pay their fees on time from vastly smaller resources than the TWU.
“The ATA constitution sets out routine procedures for removing members who do not pay their bills. Every well-run association has similar procedures, including the TWU itself.
“The ATA followed its procedures. Specifically, the TWU was issued with a formal notice of default on 4 February 2019. The notice gave the TWU a final six months to pay its long standing membership arrears.
“The TWU did not pay its arrears and is therefore no longer a member.
“There is no debate or doubt about the TWU’s membership status.
“The TWU is not a member, and the ATA has written off its unpaid membership fees as a bad debt.”
The TWU has declined to comment.