DEFENCE FUND

Aims of the Industrial Defence Fund

The aims of the Industrial Defence Fund shall be:

• The provision of assistance to members who lose pay and face financial hardship as a consequence of involvement in NTEU endorsed industrial action or because of stand down or prosecution by employers. 

• The provision of legal assistance in relation to disputes and/or grievances which have broad implications for Award standards, for enterprise agreement standards, and/or for professional standards (including academic freedom), or which would otherwise have precedential significance. 

• The provision of assistance to Branches, Divisions or groups of members involved in NTEU-endorsed campaigns against non-union agreements and/or in favour of job security and the right to collective bargaining. 

The National Office will ensure that: 

• Expenditure statements of the Fund are provided to each meeting of the National Executive
• An annual income and expenditure statement of the Fund is provided annually to the National Council.

Authorisation and Control of Payments from the Fund 

• All payments from the Fund shall be made in accordance with the following guidelines and procedures: 
• Any proposed payment to individual members, Branches and/or Divisions must be authorised in advance by a decision of the National Executive or General Secretary. 

• Branches and/or Divisions shall give the General Secretary at least 3 days’ notice of proposed campaigns or industrial action which may attract hardship relief/sustentation payment from the Industrial Defence Fund, and must consult with the General Secretary prior to advising members of possible entitlements from the Fund. The National Executive or General Secretary will not approve any payments to Branches or Divisions who do not give such notice or did not consult with the General Secretary.
• Any Branch, Division or member making request for payment of hardship pay must provide the National Executive or General Secretary with:
  • a complete list of members for whom payment is requested together with a short account of the nature of the strike, stand down or other relevant circumstances leading to financial hardship for each of the members concerned and; 

  • satisfactory evidence that each of the persons for whom payment is requested was taking industrial action, was stood down or otherwise facing financial hardship.
• In no circumstances shall the National Executive or General Secretary authorise payment from the Fund for hardship pay unless the material required by the placita  above have been provided. 

• The National Executive or General Secretary shall exercise their discretion and set a minimum hardship payment for each dispute or campaign in relation to those members who are likely to suffer financial hardship. The National Executive or General Secretary may further exercise their discretion to make additional payments to members who face acute financial hardship. For administrative convenience such payments may be structured over a period of time.
• No payment for industrial action of two working days or less duration will be made provided that the General Secretary or National Executive:
  • may exercise their discretion to make payment in respect of five or more non-consecutive working days as part of a planned campaign; and
  • will authorise payment for members who are low paid, including those employed on a casual basis, in respect of industrial action of less than two consecutive days and 5 non-consecutive working days where the member will suffer a loss of 20% or more of their weekly pay as a result of taking the action.
• The only payments which may be made from the Fund are payments which are consistent with the aims of the Fund as set out above, or payments which are necessary for the effective maintenance and administration of the Fund. Payments may only be made if they have been authorised in accordance with the procedures set out above.