dodgy

Maybe this guy can advise Helen Kelly on how not to run a dodgy union movement in New Zealand.

PAUL HOWES:
If people want to increase the penalties to the same level as the corporations act, I’ve said this many times, I don’t care. Of course, I don’t care about the penalties. What I care about is ensuring that organisations, as I do here in the AWU, act in a diligent manner. I actually believe there’s a higher responsibility for us as guardians of workers’ money to protect that money and to act diligently and honestly…

For Meat Workers Union Members only: presented by the Owl

Dear Meat Workers Union Members:

A number of people have been working very hard on your behalf to ensure you receive the best information available from your unions. We have received major criticism for our persistence in these matters but we are now able to provide you with your correct financial information.

We are not looking for a thank you or anything – we just want you to have the best. For the Owl I believe in process and a great advocate for members. Just like you pay money into kiwi saver there is governing laws around protecting your investment. Unions are incorporated societies and your investment needs to be protected as well. Failure to disclose is a serious matter.

The Owl has tabled a comparison of what was originally filed by your Union in 2011 and what the actual true figures were.

Please note that your Union auditors have stated that in their report “Also we have not been able to obtain sufficient audit evidence regarding revenues and expenses relating to Hawera Sub-Branch and 2010 comparatives of Otago Southland Branch”. These are not our words but your auditors.

The Owl does not dig around in rubbish bins for scandals and only uses information freely available in the public domain. I suggest members write to their Union and seek clarification on any matters.

What is worse – A privacy breach or a failure to disclose?

The 2012 NZCTU Affiliated Union Financials Awards – powered by the Owl

Firstly the Owl would like to thank Andrew Little, Helen Kelly and Gary Parsloe for getting me interested in union matters. As a ratepayer, taxpayer, business owner and an exporter the Ports strike was of some importance to me. Before the strike I never really cared.

I always agreed with the Unions that there may be a case to listen to and so I asked myself this simple question: if you want me to support you let me find out a little bit more about the union?

It was at this point I realised by looking through a number of websites and information freely available to the public that the unions under the umbrella of the NZCTU do not follow the laws of the land or allow their businesses to be scrutinized in the public domain as required by law.

I have promised for some time for the members of all NZCTU affiliated Unions that I would produce an award and ranking system. It has taken some time and while every effort has been made regarding the accuracy the Owl apologises for any incorrect information tabled in these awards and happy to correct.

The Owl driver for the Awards is to improve the transparency for members of Unions – as one person once wrote about my work “ owl you are the advocate for Union members”

Best Union Financial Performance, (based on filing returns on time, financial stewardship and overall presentation of accounts for members)

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS)

Commended

TUIA Union

Rail and Maritime Union

Worst Union Financial Performance, (based on filing returns on time, financial stewardship and overall presentation of accounts for members)

Cape Foulwind Drivers, Operators and General Workers Union

Biggest Losses Award (based on last two combined financial returns filed)

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU)  $1,103M Loss

Nominated

Maritime Union of New Zealand (MUNZ) $586,275.00 Loss

NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO) $1,285,336.00 Loss

Best Disclosure Award

NZ Nurses Organisation (NZNO) $1,285,336.00 Loss (Over $1M paid to College Section Note 19)

Owl’s Comment: You have to really admire the NZNO Board they highlighted in Note 2 of the Accounts how many staff receive what salaries.

In 2010 19 staff were on salaries exceeding $100,000 – in 2009 it was 7

Missing in Action (The following NZCTU Affiliated Unions have either failed to file their returns or have filed their returns other than on the Incorporated Societies Register for the last three years.)

Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (NZ Actors Equity)

NZ Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU)

Amalgamated Workers Union Northern (AWUNZ)

Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association (TIASA)

Update on how many NZCTU Affiliated Union Financial Returns are outstanding on the Incorporated Societies Website

2009 – 6 Returns

2010 – 16 Returns

2012 – 23 Returns (Some Unions are still in their Financial Year and have not been included)

Notes

1. Loss before revaluations
2. Could not find on MED website
3. Consolidated accounts before revaluations
4. Could not find on MED website
5. 2011 Tax bill of $1.2M due to depreciation changes
6. 2009 Accounts had a ($419k) Loss
7. No Accounts filed since 2009

ᔥ NZ Herald

I have publicly battered my share of Government Ministers. I have been battered a few times myself. The stories were big news at the time. They made not a jot of difference to the state of the country.

Most of the public don’t care about politics enough to notice. They just think politicians are dodgy and everything else is background noise when politicians try to explain they aren’t dodgy.

The Owl has been looking closely at union acccounts, here is another installment.

The Owl makes an observation – Why we need to tidy up our gaps in filing statutory returns.

Following on from my previous post I will continue the reason why filing audited accounts with notes is important.

The Owl has highlighted on a number of occasions that the EPMU has filed excel spreadsheets for 2006 but nothing for 2005.

Putting all that aside let’s look at what the average member of the Union who wanted to see “how is my union was going?”

This is what he would read on their balance sheet: (All information is taken off the MED website as filed by EPMU)

Imagine if Air NZ, Telecom or any of the Power companies filed accounts like this.

All members could get reasonable answers if the process was followed.

1. 2005 audited accounts were filed
2. 2006 audited accounts were filed
3. 2005 to 2010 audited accounts were filed with accompanying notes

EPMU members can obtain the EPMU accounts by the following methods:

1. Attend the AGM
2. Ask for a copy
3. Search the MED website

The Owl has one final observation on this matter – how is it that a major Union with millions of dollars in turnover cannot publish their accounts on their website when they can run major articles of national importance? Numerous listed companies have investor sections to access important financial information.

There is nothing secret about their accounts because they have to file them in the public domain on the MED website.

EPMU has a legal requirement to file their statutory accounts – it is not hard especially in 2006 when they filed a statutory declaration on the MED website stating they had audited accounts.

The Owl draws no other conclusions other than to demonstrate gaps in the process. All information is sourced from the public domain.