IEU helps OSHC & Vacation care staff with school issues
Did you know that people working in non-government OSHC services are eligible for IEU(SA) membership?
Many teachers and education support staff are not aware of the scope of our membership – we cover most sections of non-government schools.
Recently, members at a metropolitan OSHC service contacted us for advice, as they were concerned about employer requests that were not consistent with their casual employment status.
The members from the OSHC reported (amongst other issues) that:
- they were being required to attend compulsory staff meetings (partly outside the span of hours)
- they weren’t being paid overtime rates for those hours outside the span.
- they were required to provide a medical certificate if they were unable to attend a shift.
At the request of these members, we contacted the school (the school operates the OSHC service) and scheduled a meeting. The employer engaged positively with us and agreed to implement changes.
As result of this cooperation by the employer to listen to their staff (which we always encourage and applaud), staff meetings are now voluntary; all staff will receive back pay for the missed overtime; and, there is no longer a requirement for employees to provide evidence for missed shifts.
Other staff at that same OSHC were not even aware they could become IEU members and be supported like this in their employment. As a result, membership from that OSHC increased significantly.
One of the broader issues with the OSHC sector is the tendency for a large number of their jobs to be casual employment. The insecure nature of casual employment, and the effect on employees’ lives, is well documented.
Our experience with casual staff confirms that they are often hesitant to raise employment issues for fear of a reduction in shifts.
When casuals join the IEU, they can engage our organisers to act on their behalf, which enables us to address these issues for them—rather than members speaking to the employer themselves.
We can also review an individual’s employment category and advise if their role should be re-classified, for example: permanent part-time, which may give employees more certainty in their employment.
If you, or anyone you know working at an OSHC/Vacation Care service, are not yet members of the IEU, join today and get the support you need to get on with your job.
The fee category for OSHC workers starts at just $14.60 a month and includes full membership benefits. For more information on membership benefits and to join the IEU – visit our website: www.ieusa.org.au/membership-information/membership-benefits