Policy defining 'unwaged' category of membership

UNWAGED CATEGORY OF MEMBERSHIP

A discounted membership fee of $130 per year is available for members who are students or unwaged. This fee barely covers the subscription to the JBI and administrative costs. The student/unwaged category is intended to make AABHL membership feasible for people of low income who might otherwise be discouraged from joining due to the subscription levy. The following groups of people could fall into this category:

1. Full-time students
2. Minimally waged e.g. clergy, retired or semi-retired people on low incomes, part-time employees on low incomes
3. People unemployed for a significant period (> 3 months)
4. Pensioners and people on welfare benefits

Agreed policy for implementation:

1          Full-time students

all applications for the ‘full time student’ category must be accompanied by a student number

2          “Unwaged” category

• all applications for the ‘unwaged’ category must be approved by the Executive [President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer]
• applicants are asked to email the Membership Officer in the first instance on membership@aabhl.org indicating which of the following categories of unwaged members they fit to enable the Executive to make a decision;

1. Minimally waged e.g. clergy, retired or semi-retired people on low incomes, part-time employees on low incomes
2. People unemployed for > 3 months
3. Pensioners and people on welfare benefits

once ‘unwaged status’ is approved, the Executive applies common sense to determine whether they are permanently accepted as ‘unwaged’:

• clergy, retirees and members over 65 may be granted permanent unwaged status
• welfare beneficiaries, unemployed and minimally waged members are required to designate their category each time they pay their membership fees, with their applications forwarded to the Executive for a decision.

The aim is to have a transparent policy, as far as possible, to avoid embarrassment for all parties. The association depends on your honesty regarding your self-categorisation for purposes of membership fees.