Employment rights

Nearly all personnel in Australia are shielded by the National Employment Standards (also known as the NES). These are 10 (ten) minimum rights and conditions for all working full-time or part-time within the national system. A lot of the National Employment Standards in addition apply to casual workers. The National Employment Standards refer to all the people in the countrywide workplace relations system. Casual workers only get some of the entitlements and they are:

– two days unpaid carer’s leave and two days unpaid compassionate leave for each time
– highest possible weekly working hours
– community service leave (excluding paid court duty)
– time off work on public holidays except it’s acceptable to ask you to work

If you’ve been employed regularly and systematically for a minimum 12 months and there’s an expectation of uninterrupted work you’re also eligible to seek flexible working arrangements and parental leave. Flexible working arrangements entail changing working hours, varying practices of work, modifying the place of work (for instance working from home).

You’re also most certainly covered by an award or contract. These generally are official docs that set out what precisely your employer must also provide you along with what you should do as a worker. Your award or agreement will show you things like your bare minimum salary, if you should achieve penalty rate with regards to working evenings, Saturday and Sundays or perhaps public holidays, the minimum number of hours per shift you can be scheduled and paid for, if you should attain an allowance for doing some activities, your work hours, that includes the meal and rest breaks you should obtain while you work.

Two of the National Employment Standards entitlements concern all full-time and part-time employees even if they’re not blanketed through countrywide workplace relations system or otherwise.

These are:

– notice of termination and
– parental leave and associated entitlements (this is also true when it comes to casuals who’ve been employed on a repeated and systematic basis for at the very least twelve months and with an expectation of continuous work).

Signing different kinds of agreements or contracts

If you’re asked to sign any form of document regarding your wages and conditions, make every effort to read it carefully and comprehend it before you decide to sign. In addition keep a copy for your documentation. If you’re below 18 your mum and dad or a guardian may have to sign it for you.

Even if you sign a paper based contract, you’re continually blanketed by the minimum wages and conditions within the relevant award, contract and the NES. A contract can’t make you worse off than your minimum legal entitlements.