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unfair dismissal lawyers melbourne Archives - Anderson Gray

May 30 2018
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unfair disissal high threshold

Unfair Dismissal and the High-Income Threshold

By | Unfair Dismissal

Have you been unfairly dismissed but you’re above the high-income threshold

A recent Fair Work Commission case found that an employee was still entitled to make an unfair dismissal claim in spite of having a salary above the usual high-income threshold.

The employee’s success was on the basis that her responsibilities fell directly under an appropriate modern award.

The law provides a guide as to who is provided with unfair dismissal protection. Firstly, an employee must have completed the minimum period of employment to generate an unfair dismissal claim. If this requirement is satisfied, an employee must then either earn below the high-income threshold, which at present is $142,000 a year, or be covered by either an enterprise agreement or a modern award, as determined by the principle purpose test.

When she was fired the employee’s position title was Director of Asset Management. She earned a substantial annual average salary of $180,000, despite only starting with the company on an annual income of around $80,000. The employer argued that these earnings put her above the high-income threshold and so she should not receive unfair dismissal protection.

even though your salary may be above the high-income threshold and your employer may claim you are not covered by an Award you should still get expert legal advice

While her annual earnings certainly exceeded the threshold, the key point in this case became whether she was actually covered by a modern award.

The employer asserted that the duties of her position fell under the Real Estate Industry Award 2010 (the Award), and that even though her position title included the word “director” she was actually a Property Management Supervisor rather than a Director.

The Fair Work Commission considered the nature of the employee’s position, and with the application of the principle purpose test, it was determined that the employee’s role did in fact fall within the scope of the Award. The employee was subsequently shielded by the relevant Award and was successful in her unfair dismissal claim.

The key lesson in this case is that even though your salary may be above the high-income threshold and your employer may claim you are not covered by an Award you should still get expert legal advice if you believe you have been the victim of an unfair dismissal.

Apr 26 2018
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working overtime questions

Working Overtime? What are your Rights?

By | Workplace Rights and Entitlements

Know Your Rights with Overtime Work

Your employer has asked you to stay back to work a few more additional hours this week – can they do this?

Your employer can request that you work overtime, but only if it is reasonable in the circumstances.

The maximum weekly hours of a full-time employee are 38 hours per week. The maximum number of hours of an employee who is not a full-time employee is the employee’s ordinary number of hours per week, which also must be less than 38 hours.

Overtime is the work that you perform for your employer that is:

  • over your ordinary hours of work (such as over 38 hours);
  • beyond your agreed upon number of hours; and/or
  • outside the spread of ordinary hours. This is the hours in the day that your ordinary hours can be worked.  These are set out in your applicable award (such as between 8:00am and 6:00pm).

To determine whether overtime is reasonable includes the following considerations:

  • if there is a risk to your health and safety;
  • your personal circumstances and family responsibility;
  • the operational needs of your workplace;
  • whether you are entitled to receive compensation such as overtime rates and penalty rates for working overtime;
  • the nature of your role and level of responsibility;
  • how much notice is given to you by your employer; and
  • how much notice you give your employer that you cannot work the overtime (if you refuse).

If an award applies to your employment or an enterprise agreement, this instrument will set out the applicable overtime rates or penalty rates that are to be paid to you and when these payments apply.  Make sure you review the instrument that applies to you to ensure you know the applicable rates of pay.  Even if you have an individual contract of employment and it does not say anything about an award, this does not mean that an award does not apply to you.  So it is a good idea, to check what award may apply to your employment to make sure that you know your minimum entitlements.

You may have an employer that pays you above the minimum rate of pay set out in the applicable award.  However, this does not mean that you are not entitled to receive additional payments for overtime.  There are certain rules for ‘all-inclusive’ rates of pay that your employer must implement.  If your employer has not set out in writing what exactly is included in your rate of pay, then you may be entitled to a separate payment for any overtime worked despite the above award rate of pay paid to you.

If you are not sure about your entitlements, do not hesitate to contact Anderson Gray, we are lawyers for employees and are here to help you.

Mar 01 2018
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know how much you should be paid

Are you a Trainee or Apprentice? Do you Know What you Should be Paid?

By | Workplace Rights and Entitlements

Knowing How Much You Should Be Paid

If you are a trainee or apprentice you ought to check that your employer is paying you the correct rate of pay.  If a modern award applies to you, then this workplace instrument covers your employment and sets out the minimum wages that apply to you (unless an enterprise agreement applies to you).

In some states, employers have been paying wages according to a state instrument.  For example, in Queensland, many employers would pay their apprentices with respect to the Order of Apprentices’ and Trainees’ Wages and Conditions (Excluding Certain Queensland Government Entities) 2003.  Queensland Awards and Orders that were Notional Agreement Preserving State Awards (NAPSA), such as the above Order, allowed for State Awards created prior to 27 March 2006, to continue to operate post the introduction of the modern awards system by the Federal Government in 2009.

In 2017, this view changed when the Fair Work Commission found that these instruments are no longer in force and have not continued to operate post 1 January 2014.

In light of this, your employer may not be paying you correctly.  If you think this may apply to you, check your applicable modern award at www.fwc.gov.au to confirm the correct rate of pay.

If you are not being paid correctly and are receiving a lesser amount then you are entitled to you may have an unpaid wages claim.  Did you know that you have six years in which to make an unpaid wage claim?  This means that you can make a claim for unpaid wages that goes back up to six years.

If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact Anderson Gray lawyers here in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane – we are here to help.

May 22 2016
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Facing Change in your Workplace

By | Unfair Dismissal

Proactively Dealing with Change

“You must welcome change as the rule, but not as your ruler” (Denis Waitley)

Change is constant and at many times during our working lives, we will need to change the way we do, think and act.  There’s nothing wrong with that – and we should accept it and move on.

What happens though if the change is significant?  That is, what if the change involves not only a change of duties, but perhaps a change of role, remuneration or hours of work?

In every Award across Australia, there are provisions relating to how ‘significant’ change ought to be managed.  Our Awards say that the cornerstone of introducing change in the workplace is consultation.

And this makes sense.  Sitting down with someone, explaining what the issues are and why the change is important would, in most cases, go a long way to removing the anxiety associated with change.

But is that enough?  Asking for input from employees makes sense also.  An employee is at the ‘coal face’.  Employees know what needs to be done, how to do it and might have a solution that is better than the one being introduced by the employer.

The law is no exception and a recent article I read highlighted the potential effects of change.  The article stated that recently in the US, a law firm introduced a robot to undertake certain work and that robot replaced 50 employees in one part of its business.

Whatever happens, the law imposes an obligation on an employer to ‘consult’ with employees if they want to introduce changes related to matters such as:

  • the composition, operation or size of the employer’s workforce or in the skills required;
  • the elimination or diminution of job opportunities, promotion opportunities or job tenure;
  • the alteration of hours of work;
  • the need for retraining or transfer of employees to other work or locations;
  • and the restructuring of jobs.

Managing change is going to become an even more important skill that both employers and employees will increasingly need to understand and manage.

If you are facing an issue at work, get in touch with our Melbourne unfair dismissal lawyers.

May 17 2016
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unfair dismissal reasons

The Right Pay Dilemma

By | Unfair Dismissal, Unpaid Wages, Workplace Rights and Entitlements

Getting Paid the Right Amount

Being paid the right amount for hard work is an employee’s absolute right.  Incorrect or unpaid wages can seriously impact the working relationship between employee and employer.

The complex and often overlapping maze of awards, enterprise agreements and employment contracts often over complicates a basic and fundamental employee entitlement.  This maze of contractual terms often has the effect of confusing entitlements relating to overtime, penalty rates, time off in lieu and other employee entitlements.

Unfortunately, and perhaps because the system is complex, employers happen to apply the wrong minimum rate of pay for work performed.  Sometimes the employee is at fault, sometimes the adviser also gets it wrong.  Either way, ignorance is no excuse.

A recent case in the Federal Circuit Court has shown that even ‘expert’ advisers can get it wrong.  In this case, Ezy Accounting 123 Pty Ltd was pursued by the Fair Work Ombudsman for providing the employer with the wrong advice.

Whilst this is a potentially ground-breaking case in terms of extending the persons responsible for getting it wrong, it doesn’t change the fact that an employee should be paid the right rate for putting in a hard day’s work.  Unpaid wages are a genuine problem in businesses across Australia.

The good news is that the process for trying to recover your unpaid wages is fairly straightforward.  Often it will involve making a demand and then (if the matter is not resolved) seeking help from either the Fair Work Ombudsman or the relevant Court or Commission.

At Anderson Gray, we’d love help out anyone who’s been paid the wrong amount – because employees deserve the right pay for hard work done. Get in touch with our Melbourne unfair dismissal lawyers.