Governance

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated is a Union. A union is formed when workers come together as a group to improve their conditions.

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated is also an Industrial Association under the Fair Work Act 2009. RAFFWU is also a registered Australian body under the Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth) and operates throughout Australia.

  • Our Incorporated Association number is: A0097196U
  • Our ABN is: 85 207 944 265
  • Our ARBN is: 615 461 151

Our financial accounts are audited on an annual basis by qualified auditors.

For more information about our office bearers and committee members, see here: Our Team

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union is not affiliated to any political party.

Contact

The best way to contact us is by email: contact@raffwu.org.au

Or by phone: 1300 RAFFWU (1300 723 398)

Due to the high volume of contact, we prioritise inquiries from members.

You can also write to us at:

RAFFWU

PO Box 334

Clifton Hill VIC 3068

Locations

For information about our Registered Office or principal place of business, contact us at admin@raffwu.org.au

As the Union grows we are opening offices across Australia, and we keep members informed of their locations. As a fighting union most of our work does not occur in union offices but in workplaces and community spaces.

We have dedicated local union officials organising in communities including:

  • Melbourne and throughout Victoria
  • Sydney, Wollongong and throughout NSW
  • Newcastle & the Hunter Region
  • South-East Queensland
  • Perth & South-West Western Australia
  • Adelaide & Surrounds

We also assist members in all Australian communities to organise their workplaces and dedicate paid union officials to communities as membership grows in the area.

Rules and Policies

The Rules of the Union can be read here.

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated takes privacy of your personal information seriously. Read our privacy policy here: RAFFWU Privacy Policy.

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated uses eWay and Authorize.net to process online payments.

Issues that arise (in any form) prior to commencing membership are subject to our policy regarding new members with extant issues. You can download that policy here.

For detailed information on our fee structure, see: Membership Fees.

The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union Incorporated allocates its resources in pursuit of its objectives and this necessarily involves decisions about matters affecting members. We provide individual members industrial advice and support. Like all unions, the level of advice and support will be determined by the Union.

RAFFWU and the SDA

Often bosses and their business partners will try to control unions – even sometimes trying to say that a union is not a union. They do this because they know that when workers organise collectively into genuine fighting unions, they secure much better outcomes than if they don’t organise, or if they are controlled in bosses’ unions, which are sometimes called yellow unions.

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) is an example of a yellow union which does deals with the bosses that leave workers much worse off. Read about how and why the SDA does this here: SDA Facts.

Any person misrepresenting our union or misrepresenting your workplace rights should be reported to us directly at contact@raffwu.org.au

The Fair Work Act (at s.12) defines Industrial Associations as including:

(b)  an association of employees, or independent contractors, or both (whether formed formally or informally), a purpose of which is the protection and promotion of their interests in matters concerning their employment, or their interests as independent contractors (as the case may be);

As an industrial association and trade union, our members have all the protections under the Fair Work Act relating to general protections and industrial activity. In particular, s. 346 and 347 which include:

346. A person must not take adverse action against another person because the other person:

(a)  is or is not, or was or was not, an officer or member of an industrial association; or

(b)  engages, or has at any time engaged or proposed to engage, in industrial activity within the meaning of paragraph 347(a) or (b); …

347  Meaning of engages in industrial activity

A person engages in industrial activity if the person:

(a)  becomes or does not become, or remains or ceases to be, an officer or member of an industrial association; or

(b)  does, or does not:

(i)  become involved in establishing an industrial association; or

(ii)  organise or promote a lawful activity for, or on behalf of, an industrial association; or

(iii)  encourage, or participate in, a lawful activity organised or promoted by an industrial association; or

(iv)  comply with a lawful request made by, or requirement of, an industrial association; or

(v)  represent or advance the views, claims or interests of an industrial association; or

(vi)  pay a fee (however described) to an industrial association, or to someone in lieu of an industrial association; or

(vii)  seek to be represented by an industrial association; or

(f)  takes part in industrial action;