Jason Allen goes early

Embattled PIAA CEO Jason Allen has left the association, handing the Members Action Group their number one demand.

Allen has cleared his desk, is taking his leave due, and will not be returning. His departure means he will not have to front irate members at next week's Special General Meeting.

Allen was appointed as CEO last June, and his eight months in the job have been the most tumultuous in the 170 year history of the PIAA.

He sensationally resigned at Christmas, and was due to leave on April 1. However the pressure from the Printing Industries Members Action Group has seen him leave ahead of schedule.

Tom Eckersley from the Members Action Group says he ‘does not see Allen’s departure as a win’ but as the ‘natural progression’ for the PIAA’s ongoing changes. He also says it was time Allen ‘moved on from the role’.

He was unable to confirm whether any other demands will be met by the Board, including the reinstatement of several key staff across Australia.

However in the statement made to members, Ross Black says, “Mel Ireland and others were offered a position aligned to the new strategy of the PIAA however they declined the offer.”

According to Eckersley the action group continues to be in ‘ongoing discussion’ with the Fair Work Commission regarding the SGM, and the meeting is still scheduled to take place this coming Tuesday, February 23. 

Allen's initial resignation came in the middle of a series of upheavals at the association, which saw the sale of the national headquarters, the resignation of three Board members including the president, the sackings of various staff, and the release of the three year strategic plan.

The PIAA has now appointed Bill Healey as acting CEO until a new CEO is appointed. How that appointment process will play out is yet to be decided, as the Members Action Group wants a final veto on the new person.

Next Tuesday's Special General Meeting will be a showdown between the Action Group and the Board, with the Board having set the agenda but the Action Group wanting to discuss its own items.

 

 

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