Tell us, tell us and tell us again!

Tuesday 20 Jan 2015

The HSUWA team is your advocates and advisors. We represent you in negotiations, commissions, tribunals and forums of many types.

The union also works with a wide array of stakeholders, including the media, external advisors and representatives, governmental bodies and professional associations.

This work is only possible if we have good, reliable and up-to-date information from our members and supporters. It is critical that you keep us informed and educated about your priorities.

Your employer, in most cases, is required to notify the union of changes that impact you at work. However, this does not always happen -  or it happens after decisions have been made or changes implemented - so it is important to remember that if you don't tell us about an issue, we may not know about it.

Try not to assume your employer or other members have told us about an issue - we'd prefer to get 100 versions of the same email than none.

What to tell us

Anything and everything that helps us to understand issues, challenges or your concerns at work. You can do this by sending us:

• Emails or other communications that announce changes
• Emails that announce staff forums or other types of briefing sessions the union should attend
• Copies of brochures, fliers, links to sites and other information that helps us better understand your work, your workplace or issues affecting the industry or your profession
• Information that gives us an idea of why you're concerned about an issue and what outcome you'd like to achieve

HSUWA staff are not health workers - so the concern may not be obvious to us at first, but it's our job to listen to your concerns and understand the outcome you'd like to achieve.

What not to tell us

The only documentation you should not share with the union is material that contains patient information or that may be considered commercial-in-confidence. Our members and supporters are free to - and should - provide us with any other information, documentation or resources. Member communication with the union remains confidential unless the member instructs us otherwise. 

When to tell us

The sooner the better! If there is change coming or an issue that needs a response from the union, the sooner we know about it, the better chance we have of influencing the outcome. Unfortunately, too many discussions about issues with our members feature stories that begin with '...this all started about three years ago'.

How to tell us

You can call, email, fax us or even send us a letter! If you'd like to speak with a HSUWA staff member in person, just contact the union office and a visit can be arranged.