CAR PARK LIGHTING
A young member called the SDA office and spoke with SDA Information Officer, Veronica, to report that the carpark overhead lights were not working at her workplace.
The information was also reported that week by the SDA Shop Steward for that store to Area Organiser, Adison.
This had the potential to create unsafe situations for members at this store so Adison quickly contacted centre management to help resolve the issue, firmly stating that it was putting team members at risk and needed to be fixed as soon as possible.
Later that week, the Shop Steward notified Adison that the issue had been resolved.
This is an important win for members in that shopping centre, and a reminder – the SDA can’t help if you haven’t let us know there is an issue, so make sure you report what is going on in your workplace!
ADULT AGE ADULT WAGE
SDA Branch Secretary, Justin Power, ran into SDA member Nele while visiting a large retailer in Toowoomba recently!
Nele shared that she was incredibly supportive of the Adult Age = Adult Wage campaign, sharing how important fair pay is for young workers – especially during the current cost of living crisis.
As a parent and grandparent herself, Nelle knows how tough things are financially for young people today, and believes if you’re doing an adult job, you deserve the adult rate of pay.
She also spoke about how increasing wages for young workers will provide greater financial security, helping create a happier and more productive workforce.
Nele said she wishes this campaign had existed when she was young and working in retail, because the extra money would have made a real difference in her life back then.
NATURAL DISASTER LEAVE
An SDA member raised a concern after being directed by their manager to use personal leave when they were unable to attend work due to flooding. Under the EBA employees are entitled to three days of paid natural disaster leave in such circumstances.
Natural Disaster leave provisions are not something that employees are able to access under Awards but an entitlement that the SDA continues to bargain for in negations to get improved entitlements in EBA’s for members.
The member contacted the SDA for assistance, and the issue was initially raised by the organiser at the store level. However, it remained unresolved. The matter was then escalated to HR by the Industrial Officer.
Following this escalation, the matter was resolved. The company agreed to reverse the personal leave previously applied and replace it with paid natural disaster leave for the days the member was unable to attend work due to the flooding.
The organiser was also made aware of others that had been made to use their personal leave as well and were able to resolve it for the other members as well.
This is a great result for all the members involved, and a good reminder why it is important to know your entitlements under your EBA or Award.
NEW ROSTER NEGOTIATED
An SDA member approached her Area Organiser, Liz, to talk about some roster alterations she wasn’t happy with.
The member suffers from work related PTSD, due to previous customer abuse and violence she had been subjected to, so is nervous about working in direct customer facing roles.
The store manager had approached her with a new roster, which would require her to work in different departments with no considerations for her PTSD, and would necessitate her working on weekends – which would affect her other income and activities outside of work.
Liz set up a meeting with management to outline the history and issues affecting this roster change, and was able to negotiate for changes to the original proposal.
The member was given four roster options, and was able to pick the one that worked for her the best.