In the latest dramatic twist in the ongoing dramas at peak industry association PIAA, the under-fire Board has attempted to take control of the worsening situation by calling for a Special General Meeting itself.
The pre-emptive strike by the Board is in response to a threat last Wednesday from more than 50 irate members to call an SGM, with the intent of sacking the Board, unless a long list of demands were met.
The majority of the members who signed for an SGM are in Queensland, with a few other industry identities – including the editor of the PIAA-backed magazine Print21, Andy McCourt, and recruitment agent James Cryer – also backing the demands.
The surprise call for the SGM by the Board means that it has placed itself on the front foot and will set the agenda for the meeting, which is slated to take place in two weeks, Feb 23, at the Graphic Arts Club of NSW in Mascot.
That agenda comprises five items:
i) Financial Position of the Association
ii) Strategy
iii) Members Concerns
iv) Confidence In The Board
v) Road Ahead
The SGM will be the first in the 170 year history of the PIAA, and comes eight months into the tenure of CEO Jason Allen, which has been the most tumultuous period the Association has ever known, with some members up in arms about various issues ranging from sacked staff, to the sale of the national HQ, to the three year plan, to managing heritage items.
The past two months have seen the resignations of three of the nine board members including the PIAA president David Leach, with Susan Heaney and Stephen Edwards, along with Jason Allen himself.
The rebel members had threatened an SGM two weeks ago, then deferred it following the resignation of Leach, then reinstated the threat when the Board appointed Ross Black as president and Keiran May as deputy president; they took umbrage that neither of them is actually a printer.
On Wednesday last week the members presented a list of demands to the Board signed by Print Approach owner Tom Eckersley on behalf of the signatories, and gave the Board two days to accede to them. The Board were never going to agree to the demands, and were less than impressed with the two day time frame.
The demands included CEO Jason Allen depart the building immediately, the reinstatement of the two sacked Queensland staff members, the reinstatement of state managers Peter Mansfield (SA) and Ron Patterson (Vic), and the cessation of leasing out state offices.
They also wanted the members to have veto over the new CEO, and at least two printers from each state on the Board of the PIAA.
ProPrint has contacted the secretary and the president of the PIAA Board for comment, along with Tom Eckersley.
More to come.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter