By
Graham Howitt
Volume
48, No. 8, May 18, 2006
THE
prevailing ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement (WRA) expires
in November this year and recent editions of AIR FORCE News advertised
that consultation had opened for the replacement WRA, encouraging
members to have input.
The Armed Forces Federation of Australia welcomes that message
and we too encourage members to become more involved in their
pay-setting arrangements.
The ADF are required to abide by Government policy regarding wage
fixing in the public sector and ‘generally’ follow the
process applied throughout the public sector in preparing submissions
for presentation to the relevant wage fixing authority, in the
ADF’s case, the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal (DFRT).
Fundamental to the process is consultation with members and convincing
the DFRT, by way of evidence, that the majority of ADF members
to be affected by the WRA proposals actually accept the offer.
It is this part of the process where the Federation remains at
odds with the ADF.
Historically, ADF members have been denied the right to vote on
remuneration proposals put before them, having the chain of command
used as the primary mechanism to gauge member acceptance or otherwise.
The Federation would like to improve member participation and
believes the option of providing the members the right to vote
is an initiative that may help achieve that.
Members will be advised of the outcome.
Graham Howatt is the industrial officer
of the Armed Forces Federation of Australia.
World
of katakana
By
Graham Howitt
Volume
48, No. 8, May 18, 2006
 |
|
Katakana
Man
|
A
RADIO operator’s experience monitoring Japanese radio signals
during World War II can be found in the latest book in the RAAF
Heritage Series.
Katakana Man by Jack Brown recounts Brown’s experiences monitoring
katakana transmissions - katakana being the Japanese equivalent
of Morse Code.
After serving with 1 Wireless Unit at Townsville, he was sent
with detachments to various locations in New Guinea, before joining
a small party of Australians in 1944 who took part in the Leyte
landings which heralded the start of the American invasion of
the Philippines.
Jack Brown, who travelled from Adelaide with his wife Anne to
attend the launch, recalled that he had not been back to Point
Cook since late 1942.
“I was told that I was there for telegraphist training, but
that only lasted until it was realised that I could take down
messages faster than the instructors. I stayed there only a couple
of weeks and then went to 1WU. My book is now in its rightful
home with the RAAF.”
Katakana Man is $18.50 from http://www.raaf.gov.au/airpower.
