Edition 3 - June 2006This year is bounding ahead, and it seems unbelievable that edition 3 of Access HR News is ready for printing! We hope you all enjoyed the Easter Break, and are ready for the cold winter months that we have already had a taste of in the past few weeks. For the next few months, Public Holidays are not as frequent although there is “Queen’s Birthday” on Monday 12th June. All Temporary Employees will need to send through their timesheets for week ending 9th June by close of business on Friday 9th June. Access HR welcomes Melissa Aceto to their team! Melissa comes on board as Receptionist / Admin Support and will be the vital support to the Permanent, Temporary and HRM divisions of Access HR. Melissa has completed Certificate II and III in Business Administration and is already becoming aware of the recruitment industry. Alison Inglis has moved into a Recruitment Consultant position, and will be assisting Anna with the Permanent Division as well as providing essential back-up to the Temporary division. Alison has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Media) with a major in Human Resources. She has also completed a Diploma in Business Administration and is enjoying settling into her new role! Congratulations Alison! In continuing to improve our services, Access HR has developed both a Client Satisfaction Survey and a Candidate Satisfaction Survey. These surveys assist our team to improve our services to both our clients and candidates. So please, when these surveys are sent to you be honest and return them attention to Kim White. We hope that you enjoy edition 3, and if you have any feedback or topics you would like to see included we would love to hear them! Happy Reading! The NEW Access HR Team! | |
WORKCHOICES - Are you ready?The Federal Government’s overhaul of our industrial relations system WorkChoices has come into effect as of 31st March 2006. WorkChoices implement a national industrial relations system covering up to 85% of Australian employees including all Victorian employees and all employees of constitutional corporations. All employers need to be aware of the changes under WorkChoices and how they will impact on their business, and be able to comply with them. Awards will continue to apply under WorkChoices except to the extent that they are inconsistent or offer less than the new standard. If an AWA or certified agreement is implemented under Work Choices, the award becomes totally irrelevant. Common law contracts will continue to apply under WorkChoices, however they cannot contain terms that are inferior or inconsistent with the new Standard.
The New Fair Pay & Conditions Standard One of the main WorkChoices changes is the introduction of the new Fair Pay & Conditions Standard. All employees, with the exception of those on current AWAs and certified agreements, must be given terms and conditions of employment that comply with the new Standard.
Under the new Standard, employees are entitled to:
For further information relating to the New WorkChoices please contact Anna Lane on 03 9544 1899. |
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Fair Pay Commission Explained
A New, Independent Wage Setting Body. To make the system simpler and fairer, a new and totally independent wage setting body will be created with the primary objective of promoting the economic prosperity of the people of Australia. The Australian Fair Pay Commission (Fair Pay Commission) will include members that have experience in one or more of: business, community organizations, workplace relations and economics. Minimum and Award Classification Wages:
As part of its responsibilities, the Fair Pay Commission will set and adjust minimum and award classification wages:
After increases to minimum and classification wages in awards have been made following the AIRC’s 2005 Safety Net Review, they will be locked in and not be allowed to fall below this level and will increase as decided by the Fair Pay Commission. Source: www.workchoices.gov.au
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Caution on Unfair DismissalsWith the Federal Government’s WorkChoices laws coming into effect in late March, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) cautioned employers that federal and state equal opportunity laws still prohibit employers from dismissing people based on race, sex, disability and age discrimination. With the introduction of the reforms, companies with fewer than 100 employees are exempt from unfair dismissal laws. However, all businesses, regardless of their size, must still adhere to equal opportunity laws and affected employees (including casuals, contract workers, part-time and/or full-time) can still use unlawful termination legislation and make a complaint to HREOC. The Commission also said it was prepared for any potential increase in complaints received under its laws. The ACTU said companies with more than 100 staff are also being advised that they can now also sack staff unfairly as long as they claim the sacking is for “operational reasons”. “These laws will give big business enormous new powers to fire workers at will. What this means is that no worker is safe from the impact of the Government’s new unfair dismissal laws,” said ACTU secretary Greg Combet. “It doesn’t matter if you work in a small business, a medium size business or a billion dollar company with tens of thousands of staff—under the Government’s new laws you will be able to be unfairly sacked and your job security is going to be eroded.” Minna Knight, senior workplace relations adviser for Australian Business Limited, said despite the union fear campaign , WorkChoices provide for entitlements that are far more generous than many existing awards. “While this will be a cost to employers, it will be more than offset from the shared benefits of improved agreement making and flexibility,” she said. There were also concerns that penalties for employers under the new laws were too harsh, she said. “The understanding of WorkChoices by employers is low and in such an environment we do have concerns about employers facing potential fines of $33,000 for failing to comply with the new minimum standards,” she said. Source: humanresourcesmagazine.com.au For more information or advice on the New WorkChoices please call Anna Lane on 9544 1899 |
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Access HR Tempstar
At Access HR we believe all our temporary employees contribute and perform extraordinarily and should be recognized for their efforts. It is with great pleasure we announce June 2006 Access HR Tempstar. This award is determined by general work performance, feedback received from clients, and the Access HR team. Carol embraced this role as a true professional and resulted in our client finding her to be “an excellent candidate”. Congratulations Carol, and thank you for your efforts and hard work. In appreciation of Carol’s outstanding efforts we have presented her with a gift and a certificate. |
