RT HEALTH IS UNDER THREAT
RT Health’s origins date back approximately 130 years when a group of railway employees got together to form a co-operative and began contributing financially in order to provide protection in the event of any group member’s illness or injury.
The Maritime Union of Australia joined RT Health several years ago and have since recommended them to MUA members as a mutual health fund that was guided by the principles of workers and the union that represents them. Over the years the board has changed and up until January this year there was no workers or union representative on it.
However RT Health is now under threat as the board seems hell-bent on selling or merging the fund.
Ask yourself:
- Why haven’t they provided evidence to members to justify putting the fund to tender?
- Why haven’t they told members the details of the offers they have received?
- Why won’t they call a meeting of members to explain their actions?
The RTBU is trying to stop the board from handing over control of your fund without a valid reason.
The Chair of RT Health has recently sent an email to all RT Health members with a lot of management spin, but no detail, and no evidence to support the need for this tender process. In addition, the Chair is desperately trying to scare RT Health members into believing that the RTBU is acting unreasonably – which just isn’t true.
The RTBU is committed to acting in the best interests of its members, including in relation to their health and wellbeing. The MUA is seeking to support its members by acting to ensure that RT Health is not privatized. The RTBU has written to RT health members seeking their support to replace the current board. The new board should:
- pause any offers made by other funds so that it can consider whether the fund can remain competitive as an independent
- then, and only then, if it is in the best interests of members, will an offer be considered by another fund.
Removing the current board will have no impact on your current benefits or even the benefits that any tenderers are offering.
All RT Health members will have or will soon receive a request and proxy form in the mail from the RTBU. We need every member to fill out and return this form ASAP.
Even if you aren’t a member of RT Health it’s likely your family, your friends or some of your colleagues are – tell them to join the fight by returning the proxy form they receive from the RTBU!
Together, we can ensure that RT Health continues to be run for members’ benefit.
Paddy Crumlin
MUA National Scretary
ÍTF President
