A group of former Sydney airport duty-free workers have complained the NSW branch of the National Union of Workers abandoned them at a time when former officials and employees were questioned about the use of union credit cards to buy tens of thousands of dollars in personal shopping items.
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Former NUW NSW secretary Derrick Belan and his niece, Danielle O'Brien, were last year questioned about union funds spent on Tiffany's jewellery, online dating services, homeware, toys, holidays and a tattoo.
Mr Belan admitted to using a union credit card to pay for a tattoo of his mother and father on his leg. He told the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption he later paid back the $432.
Elizabeth Anderson, who worked in the duty-free section of Sydney Airport for 23 years, said she was one of about 30 workers who were made redundant last year. She said many were over the age of 55 or had needed flexible work arrangements and were financial members of the union.
She said workers had sought the help of the National Union of Workers last year when its former officials appeared before the royal commission.
"Everyone of us was in that category of people with rights under the Fair Work Act," Ms Anderson said.
"The union helped with everyday things like getting your pay or annual leave right, but with this big thing, they let us down totally. They didn't want to know.
"We think the union has used its resources to cover Derrick Belan instead of properly investigating 30 of its members claiming discrimination."
Ms Anderson said she and a group of her former co-workers took their complaint to the Fair Work Commission and were asked why a union was not representing them.
She said she called the ACTU to complain about the NUW, but was told on the phone that the ACTU did not police the union.
"We think we have been discriminated against by the employer and the union was negligent in not representing us," she said.
Irene Kramer, who is aged in her 60s, had worked in the duty-free security section of Sydney airport for 27 years and said she wanted to keep working for at least another 10 years.
Ireen Prakash, 34, said she had flexible work arrangements since having her son more than six years ago.
"I'm really p----- off with the union," she said. "From the beginning they didn't tell us the right thing. When we wanted their help they told us we will help you and we had meetings with them.
"In the end they just sent us a letter saying they couldn't help us."
In the letter to Ms Anderson, National Union of Workers NSW branch secretary Martin Cartwright, said it was "often exceedingly difficult to prove there has been unlawful discrimination".
"On the basis of the evidence and the legal difficulties referred to, we decided not to allocate further resources to your matter," he said.
Asked about the decision not to help the women, Mr Cartwright denied any suggestion the union had been preoccupied with the Derrick Belan matter last year.
"We don't cast any members adrift if there are any issues," he said.
"I sought legal advice over it as to whether there was an argument. This was not an argument that we could successfully prosecute."
