Hi Mums,
Can I please have your thoughts- I have lost 40% of my hours of late due to the Corona Virus. (I was full time 38 hours now down to 3 days a week, they told me in a meeting they had no choice but to drop wages) I do not work in one of the industries that have been shut down by the government. Actually the office I’m working in has had one of their best months in the last quarter. My boss has asked me to work the full 38 hours a week but will only be paying me the first 60%. My employer said they need this from their employees as they are a small business and will have to shut down if they keep paying full wages.
What are your thoughts on working for free 40% of a 38 hour week?
Please don’t think I sound ungrateful, I’m thankful to still have some hours BUT I feel asking to work for free is not really fair. Thanks Mums
Working for free? Due to Corona virus
Working for free? Due to Corona virus
Posted in:
Money
15 Replies
Nope. Nope. Nope.
They can access government grants if they’re desperate, but this sounds like a ploy to make money and not pay staff.
Um no way. Surely that’s not legal.
Sounds like they are trying to take advantage of the Corona chaos. Dont work for free.
No.
Having said that, I am a salary worker so I do a fucktonne more hours than I'm "paid" for, however the salary is not a small one so it's still worth it.
And it's had nothing to do with COVID-19, it's always been this way and my employer is trying to make it so my hours drop. We're just not having much luck yet.
I would be speaking to Fair Work Australia. What does your contract say? Will you still be being paid the award rate for your industry if the pay cut is applied? It's not fair but I guess if you are it is technically legal and then you have to weigh up if you want to accept the conditions and have a job or not. I'd also be making sure I get everything in writing
Can you give us a hint on the industry? They might be doing well now, but will they go down in the next wave?
I’d be making sure anything you decide you get in writing, with clear expectations that after a certain time frame you go back to full pay.
It all feels fishy though.
Nope. That's rude as. We don't work for free. It's not free it's costing us. And it's making more money and business and security for them. It's cheeky as I'd be asking for full wage plus danger pay if you're still going out at this time.
And so it begins, all the opportunists taking advantage, hopefully when all this ends they can be charged like war criminals....you don’t sound ungrateful, you sound like a woman who has had her pay cut for no real reason....is the new pay rate below minimum wage? Contact fairwork Australia and don’t be ashamed to. If there is no good reason, your boss is the equivalent of a looter....
If you hadn't of mentioned how the business you work for has had an upturn and not a downturn, my answer here would be very different.
But because they aren't suffering from any losses due to their upturn and are obviously making more money, this is a disgusting breech of terms and just an industry taking advantage due to what's happening in the world.
I'd ring FairWork and any other ombudsmen you can think of to get advice.
no way. my work has asked us to reduce our hours by 20% with a 20% pay cut but no way in hell would i work for free.
The job keeper payment should over come this
Small business are receiving income tax reimbursements of wages up to $10,000 each quarter over 3 quarters, plus apprentice income tax is reimburse for the last 6 months.
We are a small business, essential service, we are on the up due to this as well.
If it is a similar business as ours invoices come in a month after they are submitted, so in a months time all the grants will be in and so will the remittances.
At the moment they would still be on last months money, nothing would be different
If you work in child care apparently its totally olay, even selfish if you dont.
I don't feel you should have to at all. Ive had a boss who did this during a natural disaster. Told us once things were good again we would be rewarded.... most lost our jobs when we asked for payback.
I am in the same boat, my hours dropped from 40 to 28, but I know my boss will reward me later when this is all over. he's good like that. He is not just my boss, he's a team member and treats us like family.
Hard one for you though. Good luck x