Your Time Your Pay
You must be paid for all the time you work – it’s the LAW. Your employer is legally bound to pay you for ALL work done. Never clock off and keep working without pay and if you experience problems with unpaid overtime or other underpayments, the SDA can help. Do not work before you clock on or keep working after you clock off.
Breaks
Breaks are not optional extras. They must be taken and cannot be withdrawn by your employer. It is very important to take your breaks when they fall due as they are designed to give you a rest. A break makes you more efficient and better able to concentrate when you return to work. Employers cannot deny employees their breaks because there are not enough staff. They cannot tell you to take your break at the end of a shift. They cannot reduce the length of an employee’s break or require an employee who is on a break to come back to work.
Bullying and Harassment
Your employer must provide a safe working environment for all workers and any tolerance of bullying is a serious breach of an employer’s duty of care. There should be clear company policies about bullying and harassment that state what behaviour is unacceptable and what the consequences are for breaches of policy. Workplace bullying is any behaviour that is repeated, systematic and directed towards an employee or group of employees that victimises, humiliates, undermines or threatens and which creates a risk to health and safety. Bullying isn’t just about physical violence. People can be hurt at work in less obvious ways such as being repeatedly threatened with losing their job or being told They’re “useless” or “stupid”. Removing duties without an explanation or providing demeaning duties may also be bullying.
Rights and Support
The SDA has every aspect of retail employment covered.
There are the dedicated delegates on the shop floor, ordinary workers with a wealth of experience and a real commitment to make sure their fellow workers are ok
Then there’s the specially trained union representatives allocated to specific stores or specific areas such as oh&s, parental leave and workers compensation. These people know how stressful work problems can be, big or small, and they listen to what is happening in the workplace. Together with the professional advice and assistance from lawyers, counsellors and industry specific entities, the SDA can offer sound advice and are supported by the huge resources of the SDA nationally all of which are geared to help our members.
They can offer sound advice and are supported by the huge resources of the SDA all of which are geared to help members.
