Your HACSU Committee of Management (COM) met yesterday for the final time in 2023 and I have a couple of updates for you about our union’s leadership.
A few months ago, Assistant State Secretary Lucas Digney indicated that he wanted to step down from his role to focus on some personal family issues – but the good news is that although he wanted to step back from his elected position, he was still keen to stay a part of the HACSU team.
Your Committee of Management have been considering this and I am proud to announce that yesterday, your elected COM unanimously endorsed Tammy Munro to take on the job and appointed her to the vacant Assistant State Secretary role.
Tammy has been a strong leader in our union for over 15 years. She has held senior roles for the last 10 years and most of you have probably come across her at some point. Tammy is a hard-working and dedicated union giant who always goes above and beyond for members. As a leader in our union she has provided constant support to HACSU staff, and when it comes to supporting members we can all thank Tammy for her tireless work which has driven the HACSUassist team to become what they are today: Tasmania’s most fearless advocates for union members.
Here’s a message from Assistant State Secretary Tammy Munro:
“I am humbled and honoured that HACSU’s Committee of Management have appointed me to the role of Assistant Secretary and I want to thank them for their unwavering support throughout my 16 years with our union.
“Before I started working at HACSU, I was a disability support worker for 11 years and I also spent some years working in aged care. I was always a proud HACSU member, and I still am today. I have always felt very passionate about what our mighty union has been able to achieve for our members. We’ve grown from strength to strength in my time at HACSU so far and we have an amazing team who are driven and focused to make positive change in our members’ lives.
“I am especially excited about the future and being able to continue to lead this change with our State Secretary Robbie Moore and our Committee of Management. I also especially want to thank Lucas for supporting me and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future.”
I also want to thank Lucas for his great contribution to our union in his time as Assistant State Secretary and I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role as Industrial Manager (Public Sector) where he will continue to take on government bosses and retain responsibility for our mighty Ambulance Sub-branch.
Here’s a message from Lucas:
“It is with mixed emotions that I made a decision to step down as Assistant State Secretary.
“The main reason is to better prioritise my family commitments. Serving as one of your elected union representatives has been a profound honour, and I want to express my deep gratitude for the trust you've placed in me. I am immensely proud of the wins we have achieved and the strides we've made together. I’ll continue to focus on representing Ambulance employees and workers across the public sector and while my role may evolve, my commitment to fighting for your rights and supporting our unity remains unwavering. I look forward to continuing this journey, standing by your side, and ensuring that your voices resonate loudly in shaping the decisions that impact your lives.
“I also want to congratulate Tammy who is a fantastic and exceptional person and someone who has been a leader of mine since the day I started at HACSU.”
2023 has been a difficult year for many members as we’ve faced significant increases to the cost of living, while workers in health and community services are still dealing with systems that fail people in health, aged care, and disability and community services.
In 2024 we are determined to face these challenges head on and hold those responsible for providing vital services to our community accountable for ensuring they are properly funded and workers are properly looked after.
With both the State and Federal elections due in the next 18 months (and I’m sure both will come sooner than we expect), we will be fighting for better funding, better wages, and better conditions – the things we need to recruit and retain decent staff and give our fellow Tasmanians the care and support they deserve.