Shifts and holidays

• Generally you should be rostered and paid for a minimum number of hours per shift.
• You should start and finish your shift at the rostered time even if work is busy or quiet, unless you and your employer both agree otherwise.
• Generally you should get an unpaid break if you work five hours or more.
• You can say no to working public holidays if you have reasonable grounds. It depends on the kind of work you, whether you get extra pay or other benefits for working public holidays, how much notice you’re given, your reasons for refusing or your personal circumstances (including family responsibilities).

Finishing up

• You generally have to give your employer notice you’re resigning from your job. If you don’t give enough notice your employer can keep wages to cover the notice period, so check your award or agreement first.
• Generally, if you’re a casual employee your job may be terminated at one hour’s notice.
• If you’re employed full-time or part-time you should be paid out any annual leave owing to you when your employment ends.
• You can’t be sacked because of things like your race, sex, age, physical or mental disability, sexual preference, or for filing a complaint against your employer for breaching a law.

Getting paid

• Unpaid ‘trials’ are generally against the law. You shouldn’t be asked to work for free.
• You should be paid for all hours you work, including meetings or training and any time you spend opening and closing the business.
• In most jobs you will be paid junior rates until you turn 21.
• You should be given a pay slip within one day of being paid.
• Money can’t be taken out of your pay if customers leave without paying or if the cash register is short.
• ‘Cash in hand’ is when you are paid without tax being taken out and it is against the law.
• You should give your employer your tax file number otherwise you can be taxed at a higher rate

Go here for more information

Workers making Prada, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Samsonite have been dismissed and forced to resign from the union. Conditions at three Turkish factories are appalling: Workers earn poverty wages, work long hours, and suffer from a variety of health complaints linked to poor health and safety conditions. They complain that there are not enough toilets for all the workers and those that exist are filthy. The only drinking water is from a hose on the toilet floor.

For more information and to take action

A Nottinghamshire vicar is entering the world of business by selling Fairtrade clergy shirts.

Simon Butler, curate at St Giles Church in West Bridgford, said he came up with the idea after chatting to like-minded colleagues about Fairtrade products. More from this article

These shirts are now being sold in Australia

Uni politics in fight for life
Josephine Tovey
November 10, 2008

THE CHANGES on campuses from voluntary student unionism, changing demographics and new technology have also changed student politics.

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URGENT APPEAL: Suspected government agents attempted to kill Laguna labor leader
10 November 2008

From the – Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR)
Rm. 702 Culmat Building 127 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Brgy. Mariana, Quezon City
Telefax: 632.411.0256 email address: ctuhr.manila@gmail.com
www.ctuhr.org

URGENT APPEAL: Suspected government agents attempted to kill Laguna labor leader

Issues: attempted killing, harassment, right to life and security, freedom of association

Check out the men’s and women’s clerical shirts (otherwise known as dog collar shirts!).

All of the shirts are made from 100% Fairtrade Certified Cotton – not the usual poly-cotton mix – which ensures that small scale cotton farmers from developing countries receive a fair and stable price for their goods and labours. Additionally they receive a Fairtrade premium which enables them to invest in their farm businesses and communities.

Available now!

According to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Commonwealth is owed an estimated $16.1 billion in higher education student loans in 2007-08 (a 12 per cent increase on the amount owed in the previous year).  The Department estimated that about $3.4 billion of it would not be repaid.

Sourced from: AFR, 10 Nov, 08

Professor David Karoly will be hanging out at UpperRoom next Monday!

“There aren’t many people on the planet that know more about climate change than Australian climatologist Professor David Karoly.

His work with the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change brought him international recognition. Now, as a Federation Fellow at the University of Melbourne, his expertise is back in Australia … and he’s determined to make a difference.” ABC-Catalyst

The inconvenient truth will be playing as advertised earlier but it has now been confirmed that during the show there will be conversations and live commentary with David.

This is the night to bring your questions and friends who are interested in climate change and the environment.

Monday the 10th of November from 6pm

Upstairs in the Shine Café/Bar (74 Kingsway Glen Waverley)

Check out the MorePraxis website for more details

EFI NEWS – Relief Workers Arrested in Orissa

November 6, 2008: Orissa police on November 4 arrested seven Christian’s relief workers on false charges of conversion by allurement under 153A/34IPC of section 4 – Orissa Freedom of Religious Act in Bhadrak district.

The Discipleship Centre (DC) is running a social relief project on Disaster Risk Reduction and Holistic Development of Children through Education, Health Care and Community Sensitization for three years in ten villages of Tihili Block.

The incident occurred when five men and two women, all staff of the DC, were travelling to the DC project office on motorcycles when one unidentified cyclist collided with one of the bikes, incurring minor injuries to one of the workers.

Around 50 people soon gathered at the spot which swelled up to a mob of about 400 people. The seven workers were forcibly taken to a nearby cremation ground where the mob started slapping, pushing and beating them up and threatened to burn them alive.

Meanwhile, participants from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in an ongoing protest rally to highlight their issues on ‘forced’ conversion, chanting anti-Christians slogans, passed the ground and joined the crowd.

Police arrived at the spot and DC workers were taken to the police station .Two First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against the DC staffs for ‘forced’ conversion and for the accident. The social workers have also filed a counter case against the perpetrators.

The Christians are still detained in the police station at press time. Please pray for their safety and early release.

Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
General Secretary
Evangelical Fellowship of India
New Delhi, India

Evangelical Fellowship of India (established 1951) is a charter member of World Evangelical Alliance, an accredited NGO with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

Armed men shoot, miss Laguna labor leader
11/06/2008 | 11:39 PM

MANILA, Philippines – A labor leader from Laguna was almost killed when armed men, suspected to government agents, shot him, a labor center said Thursday night.

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