Thread: Proposal to cut wages on Labor Day long weekend!

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

The difference between secure staff job and being unemployed is usually about two weeks.
What sort of security is that?

The difference should be the application of due process.

Originally Posted by bob10

It's all academic, soon we will be a Nation of casual workers, no overtime, no penalty rates [ already happening in the Post Office] except for those in management who are prepared to sell their soul to their corporate bosses. How many out there are actually working extra hours for nothing, sucking up in the hope of getting on the band wagon. Bob

They want to sell Australia Post don't they?

Originally Posted by Slunnie

The difference should be the application of due process.

Yep. Two weeks.

Originally Posted by Firefish

What's the difference between "giving up" a Public Holiday and "giving up" any other day of your life to go to work?
Don't like penalty rates. Never have. Never will. Have worked jobs with seven day rosters and no penalty rates. No-one cared what day of the week it was. Everyone got paid the same amount for doing the same work; the way it should be.
Now I have staff that fight for the weekend shifts just to get paid double for the same work. And managers on 5-day rosters who want to swap weekdays for weekends. Claim they want to work weekends because they are "more productive", and its not about the penalty rates. I have a bridge I can sell anyone who believes that.

Less than 10% of people do shiftwork so your trying to say there is no difference between being Home at the same time as all your friends family and children or sitting at home alone or asleep after a nightshift whilst your family is at school and friends at work?
Now your going to have us believe your 7 day job was at the flat base rate or did it maybe include all allowances into a single rate
As to being more productive On a weekend or backshift, ITS TRUE! No need to have a meeting or act as a tour guide to a manager from another dept. No urgent email or other non core b.s pure focus on the job and production.
As to allocation of weekends and extra shifts, it depends on both your and your workers priorities. I've worked with blokes who did 16hr days over Christmas so would cover any overtime without the need for casuals and others who would leave exactly On time and never work a min extra as they wanted to spend the weekend or public holiday with their friends and family. A lot of eba's have a callout procedure as well as an overtime system so there are no arguments. Most usually offer the permanents first then the casuals.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Mr Eevo.
It is Labour Day (Eight Hours Day), not Labor day.

yes, i was making a pun.
then since you're a mod, i suggest you change the thread title

Originally Posted by frantic

Now your going to have us believe your 7 day job was at the flat base rate or did it maybe include all allowances into a single rate

Yep, flat rate. Industry award. No weekend penalties. Overtime all accrued. Managers got an arse kicking if there was any overtime at all paid out at the end of the pay cycle.

Originally Posted by frantic

As to being more productive On a weekend or backshift, ITS TRUE! No need to have a meeting or act as a tour guide to a manager from another dept. No urgent email or other non core b.s pure focus on the job and production.

Well, yes, perhaps. Unless a core part of your job it to work with the rest of a team that does Monday to Friday. Someone else was always picking up the pieces for the 2 weekdays when the worker was away. Effectively being paid for 7 days after penalties every week, and doing their core job for 3.

Originally Posted by frantic

As to allocation of weekends and extra shifts, it depends on both your and your workers priorities. I've worked with blokes who did 16hr days over Christmas so would cover any overtime without the need for casuals and others who would leave exactly On time and never work a min extra as they wanted to spend the weekend or public holiday with their friends and family. A lot of eba's have a callout procedure as well as an overtime system so there are no arguments. Most usually offer the permanents first then the casuals.

Agree, and yes everyone has different priorities. Always tried working on an equitable give and take process, however have found some employees (and employers also no doubt) are all take and no give. Seems to be getting worse. Oddly, much as they are criticised, Gen Y workers were some of the most reliable. Maybe just because they came with the least baggage.

So flat rate, not base rate thank you. My "flat rate" is an average of all my weekends etc
If the " core" of your work is teamwork then they should be doing Mon-fri but if the core is production it really proves a point that there are to many other non productive activities, agendas and meetings being promoted Mon-Fri.
Finally if your not making money from working shifts or weekend's why are you open then?

Originally Posted by mikehzz

They want to sell Australia Post don't they?

No one has actually admitted the fact, but the way the business is being structured seems to be setting it up to sell off portions of it. Slowly, the smaller post offices have been amalgamated into huge delivery centres , delivering mail from a central hub. Surprisingly, this has led to overtime blowing out spectacularly, with finishing times of 5-6 pm the norm. in many areas. The posties I speak to say that was ok for a while, but has become tiresome over time.

When I was working as a postman, we started at 6 am, and were paid penalty rates , it was a condition of service. Now, all new delivery people start after 6.30 am, no penalty rates. The policy of Post is that when old posties , earning penalty rates, leave the job, they will not be re-employed. They are replaced by casuals. Post had one of the best Super schemes around, the APSS, but is not offering that scheme to new employees. here is a extract from the APSS web site;
"
From 1 July 2012, Australia Post and some Associated Employers will no longer be offering Membership of the APSS to new employees. Instead, new employees will be offered super benefits outside the APSS. If you are an existing APSS Member, this decision does not change your existing APSS benefits.

Different benefits apply to:

• Permanent Employees
• non permanent employees"

The turnover of staff has risen astronomically, 3 to 6 months has been quoted to me by my old workmates. One new postie was said to have worked a week, and walked out the door saying ' I can get more on the dole than working here' . Staff morale is low, junior & middle management , as told to me, are very unhappy, being the meat in the sandwich, so to speak, between upper level management & the workforce. All anecdotal of course . When I joined the Post Office in 1985, it was regarded as one of the best in the World. Posties would go the extra yard in delivery, doing more for the customer [ such as walking up stairs to deliver mail in the hand to the elderly, etc] Now you can count yourself lucky if you get your mail in your letterbox, in some areas. If, for some reason, you got back late, and were the only one on overtime, you didn't claim it . Now you will be lucky to finish before dark, most days. Progress? you tell me. It was in the press that British Post is being put up for sale. Aus. Post will probably follow. How did Aus. Post get to the mess it is in? That is another long story, Bob