kiwichild

3 union officals at a Bendigo gold mine had their pay docked because they were 20 mins late getting back to the site due to having to wait for proper documentation to confirm payment of a donation by workers to the fund for the widow of Larry Knight,the miner who died at Beaconsfield.

How low will some bosses go under these new IR laws? Interestingly the sod who docked their pay didn't give even a dollar to the fund for Mrs Knight and her family.

Is this the Australia people want? Union officials have now asked the company to show their goodwill and make a significant donation themselves!

I await with interest the outcome.

renth

That's going to go down VERY badly.

NKSK version 2

I also know of union members who will use any excuse - even playing on the sadness of others - to skip work.

kiwichild

Go and buy a heart: you sadly need one

NKSK version 2

Not at all - I have every sympathy for the bravery of the miners and their rescuers (and their families).

No sympathy for unions though.

kiwichild

Yep, and the mine is owned by a WA company, McPhee something or other.

kiwichild

FFS they were depositing a donation from all the lads on the site, had permission to go during their lunch break, and had said they may be a little late as it's a 10 min drive either way into the town from the sight. They weren't sitting in the pub all arvo on the piss mate, they were trying to help a woman and her family who had just lost their husband and father. They also had to make sure they got all the relevant documentation as it was workers money, and to ensure it was receipted to Mrs Knight.

Incidentally this union has a history over 150 years of doing these sort of things for those who have lost a family member in the mining industry.

You need to pull your head out of the crack in fairyland you keep it in!

seang

Me too. I reckon what will happen is that it was a payroll mistake. Do they clock in/out? If so - payroll would have seen they were 20 minutes late without knowing the reason and docked accordingly. I havent seen any articles on this so just guessing.

kiwichild

I heard the story on a talkback radio show. The host interviewed the guys concerned. The site manager knew they were going and why and that they would likely be a bit late getting back. Payroll clerk should have been informed to disregard any inconsistency. But I can't say for sure that an automated clock in clock out system is in place there. By the sounds of it, it was a deliberate docking of pay rather than an oversight.

spalen

what has this got to do with the IR laws ?


oooh there goes my bandwaggon, Im late for it - got to run

kiwichild

Because this sort of thing has never happened before. It is the first time it has occured, and only since several employers have begun testing their new power (throwing their weight around) under these new laws.

OzTennis

I'm inclined to think (hope) that there is less to it than the thread title suggests. The Bendigo 'Addy' isn't reporting anything about this incident, just:

http://bendigo.yourguide.com.au/deta...ews&m=5&y=2006

Possibly a career in British tabloid headline writing beckons for someone?

OzTennis

spalen

what utter tosh

so in the whole 200 yr history of australia the only time some numpty has been docked pay for being late back from an errand is now - and in the case of a dead colleague which received worldwide attention, yeah right.......

NKSK version 2

And I take it that you have heard the other side of the story?

wmoore

It's the first time it's made national news. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time and the 'victims' just suck it up.

Pretty shitty IMO though.