Resolving a roster issue for Emma after a change in her child care arrangements
Emma (name changed for privacy), a member of the SDA Tasmania and a single mother with a three-year-old child was working a four-day-a-week roster at a retail store. She put her child in daycare throughout the week so she could work and on Sundays, her child was cared for by a friend. It was a tenuous arrangement but Emma had no choice – her situation was such that if she didn’t work, she wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.
However, circumstances changed for her friend and they would no longer be able to care for the child on Sundays. This left Emma with no other care options.
She approached her manager and asked to work on a different weekday shift instead of her Sunday shift. She was trained in multiple departments so was hopeful that she could be slotted in somewhere.
But to her dismay, her manager told her that they didn’t have any other shifts to offer her.
Emma was getting desperate. If she lost that day of work, it was only a matter of time before she would find herself homeless. She reached out to the SDA.
With the help of her local Organiser, she submitted a Flexible Work Application. The application, together with some negotiation, finally made the company relent and offer Emma another weekday shift.