[Linux-aus] Professionals Australia (formerly APESMA)

[Brianna Laugher]

Hi,

I have been a member for the past few years, although strangely I
hadn't heard about their name change until now...

They are indeed a union - Fair Work Australia knows about them (
http://www.fwc.gov.au/index.cfm?pagename=regorgslist ) and you can
eventually find a description of union-like activities, amongst the
fluff ( https://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/support/advice/PA_workplacecharter.pdf
)

I doubt that they have any particular understanding of OSS, but I am
not sure they especially need it? Unless the issue relates to
work-related copyright or something.

They offer an employment contract review, which could be useful to
those working remotely or as contractors. If you have a job in IT I
don't think they can have any beef with representing you.

Happy to discuss off-list as well.

cheers
Brianna


On 17 December 2013 16:01, Daniel Bryan <danbryan at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi LA,
>
> I've recently considered joining APESMA (now Professionals Australia[1]);
> having been in a difficult situations myself in prior job, and having seen
> treatment of others that I would describe as abuse, it seems like the Union
> movement is more relevant than tech workers (in Australia at least) tend to
> think.
>
> I'd like to know whether anyone in LA has been involved with this
> organisation as a rank and file member; specifically, whether their IT
> division has any real representation or understanding of people who work in
> the OSS ecosystem. I'm concerned that the union might only represent the
> experience of IT workers hidden in an vendor-owned enterprise burrow
> somewhere.
>
> Since the org is careful to describe itself as a "professional organisation"
> rather than a Union, I'm also curious whether anyone has experience in its
> approach to workers who don't have formal qualifications - obviously
> something relevant to our community, where so many people are self-taught,
> and where those of us who have formal qualifications often hold them in an
> unrelated field of study.
>
> Hopefully this is relevant to someone / not just more noise in the LA list.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Daniel
>
> [1] https://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au
>
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