Full timer not paid a public holiday
Posted by James - 03:33 PM 30.08.12
My work did not pay a collegue for a public holiday because he took a sick day before the long weekend. I advised him this was wrong and have been labeled a troublemaker by admin. I was called into a meeting with the business manager and told they contacted the ombudsman 5 times to ensure they are correct. Apparently if you take a sick day either side of a public holiday and do not show evidence that you were sick you do not get paid the sick day and it is up to the employers discretion whether they pay the public holiday. Is this true?
Unions Australia answered on: 03.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Confidentiality at work but can I tell my wife?
Posted by Peter - 06:59 PM 29.08.12
Can I discuss what happens at work with my wife at home? My boss is saying that I am in breach of the confidentiality clause I signed. But nothing in the document referred to not being able to talk to my wife about work. I thought the Marriage Act was above the law, sacrosanct, because the law cannot force a woman into giving evidence against her husband as the two are one flesh. It stems from the law in relation to not having to give evidence that may incriminate you. Therefore, what I tell my wife about work, I am discussing it with myself as we are one flesh, so to speak. Any comments.
Unions Australia answered on: 30.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Employee Rights
Posted by Melody - 03:29 PM 28.08.12
I am 50 and have been working part time for nearly 8 years in a child care sector as a child care assistant. Two years ago I found out I have osteoarthritis on my jaw, since then my situation has deteriorated a lot, I have chronic pain daily , simple things like eating and talking has become a challenge for me. I feel that I won’t be able to do this job much longer and this really upsets me because I like my job. I also was told by my oral surgeon that I have to go for a total joint replacement, that this is my only option at the moment, my questions are: What are my rights? Can I have some time off(with pay), to rest my jaw and neck that are really bad at the moment? I’m totally ignorant about this staff, so please help me, thank you Melody
Unions Australia answered on: 29.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Payrise rights
Posted by Ali - 03:40 PM 27.08.12
I feel that I am not paid enough in my current job. Is it my right to discuss my wages with him or should I just accept that the rates come with the job? Thank you
Unions Australia answered on: 28.08.2012	read comments post a comment

reduced hours
Posted by c - 08:56 PM 24.08.12
Hi, I have been employed for almost 12months at my current position and have just been advised that as my section of the company is not generating a large enough income that my hours as the administrator will now be reduced from 38 hours a week to 28 hours a week and the hours they want me to work will not allow me to find another part time job to be able to make up the wages I am going to loose, I am the only employee who's hours are being reduced. The manager said they have been reviewing cost for 6 months now and this is the only area they can cut back on but a few months ago they hired another full time sales rep knowing their outgoings looked bad, can you please give me information on my rights?
Unions Australia answered on: 28.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Boss doesn't want to pay weeks salary
Posted by Toni-Eino - 06:45 PM 23.08.12
So situation is this: I am working at tomato farm as driver and one of the trailors got jack knifed and boss didn't want to pay any of drivers before he got someone to "blame" and now he is blaming me and is going to take my weeks salary for fixing the trailor. What should I do? My last weeks pay is late already 3 days. Thanks for your time and advices! (and sorry about my mediogre english)
Unions Australia answered on: 24.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Let down
Posted by B - 05:39 PM 23.08.12
I have been working for the same employer for the last 8 years. Ever since I started they expected all the employess to work a full 40 hours but on the payslip its says only 38 hours. We are not paid overtime for those 2 hours and we arent offered an RDO either. The company stance is that they believe they are flexible and if we need time off we are given it, although you are made to feel like crap if that happens. Many people have voiced their concerns about this over the years and all those people are "pressured" to leave. Now that I have left (and not on the best terms) how do I go about getting the money that is rightfully owed to me?, and improving the situation for the people still employed there..
Unions Australia answered on: 24.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Shift Entitlement
Posted by Nicole - 04:52 PM 23.08.12
I'm a casual worker at a retail store, and I've worked the same shifts every weekend for over 2 years. I had a verbal agreement with my previous boss that I wouldn't go part-time as long as he gave me the same shifts. My new boss kept that up for about a year, but now he's cutting me shifts all the time. I've gone from 26hrs a week to 12/13, I had to get a second job just because of the cuts, and now he's reducing them further!! Do I have any rights to challenge these cuts? Since I've worked the same shifts for over 2 years, can't I argue that they're mine now?
Unions Australia answered on: 24.08.2012	read comments post a comment

Hours and award
Posted by K - 03:12 AM 21.08.12
I have asked my boss for a copy of my contract a number of times and they just ignore my request now. How else can I find out what award or agreement I am covered by? Also, my standard hours are 40 hours a week (usually I work for 60-70 hrs a week though) but a mate just told me standard hours of work can only be 38 hours a week? It is questions like this (and to check what my rate of pay should be and overtime provisions etc) I was hoping my contract/award could help me with. I am on a 457 visa and really too scared to try push things with them in case they cut my hours, make my life difficult or fire me. Thank you.
Unions Australia answered on: 21.08.2012	read comments post a comment

unprotected employee
Posted by Yoyak - 11:18 PM 20.08.12
I've been working with a company for 2 years and everything was going well. Everybody likes me and the kinds of job I was doing. It was a pleasure to work there and at that time there was no supervisor and we report directly to the workshop manager. Some employees were not happy as I got credit from my superior and I would say they were highly jealous. They started talking behind my back; I haven't heard anything but I got a feeling. This is the thing I couldn't stand at all. It had been through my head all the time, even I've been reported that to my superiors and they said I'm a paranoid. I was always working on my own and the other employees always have an eye on me. When one of the employees has been promoted as supervisor, I was completely down. He was telling me to do a job which he himself wasn't doing it when he was the same as me before he got promoted and he and the group said that it is an apprentice job. When I was doing my job, I was doing that from start to finish. When I was doing part of my job, the new supervisor brought me one of other job which the other one was supposed to it, he told me to do it. I refused and I've been sent to the manager and I was given a warning. The second time I've refuse to do another job is when he has given me one of the job which he himself was responsible to do it as a supervisor. You guess what happened after that.
Unions Australia answered on: 21.08.2012	read comments post a comment