Wage theft: Over recent years Casual employees have been subjected to underpayments. A significant factor in these underpayments is the linkage to not paying the minimum engagement periods correctly.
Advice for casual employees at the University of Tasmania.
Professional Casuals
- Entitled to a minimum payment of 3-hours per engagement
- An engagement period starts when the employee begins working and ends when they take a break of over 60 minutes
- In certain situations, like attending lectures, professional casuals may claim a 1-hour minimum engagement instead of the 3 hours
- Casuals must not be instructed to combine work hours from separate days or claim hours in a lump sum payment
Academic Casuals
- Entitled to a 3-hour minimum payment per week from Monday to Sunday
English Language Centre (ELC) Casuals
- Entitled to a minimum payment of 2-hours per engagement
- Similar to professional casuals, ELC casuals may claim a 1-hour minimum engagement when attending lectures
There is a manual checking process in place to ensure professional casuals receive their full entitlement, but payroll systems will be enhanced in future to automatically process timesheets to pay appropriate minimum engagement periods.
It emphasizes that casual employees are responsible for entering accurate timesheet details reflecting the actual hours worked each day. People leaders and timesheet approvers are reminded they have an ongoing obligation to pay casuals correctly based on the stipulated minimum engagement rules. Relevant sections of the Staff Agreement are referenced for more information.
At the end of last year, the University offered training to all staff involved with approving casual time sheets, we have concerns that this was broadly not taken up, so if in doubt ask the question about your payments, ask the NTEU to assist you in knowing your rights.
Join the NTEU here