SA Employment practices

[Guest WhatNow?]

This might be an interesting Friday discussion topic...

 

Just decided to chase up a council employee who was supposed to get back to me 'next week' about two months ago. I discovered that he (the lovely 'Brian' ex-Manchester 25 years and still has his accent) has been on long service leave for 8 weeks - due back week after next. Mystery solved...

 

This is the third or fourth time I have come across this extended leave thing they do here. I temped at a private company last year, sitting in for a young woman who was on holiday for 8 weeks doing a tour of Europe who then walked back into her job as if nothing had happened! She couldn't have been old enough to have any 'long service leave'. My bro in law was told by his manager that he had to force his staff to take their long service leave or finally lose it. One guy who had worked for the company for 45 years had to take 6 months off...unbelievable!

 

Much as I detest what Margaret Thatcher did to my job in 1979, I wonder if the Aussies would have such a 'laid back' attitude had they had a taste of the Tory government of that time?

 

Can anyone on here remember the last time they were allowed to carry leave over year to year in the UK or to take off more than 2 weeks consecutively?

[Anne B]

My husband was allowed to take unpaid leave from his job in England so that we could have 3/4 week holidays in Australia, as long as it wasn't during the 6 week summer holidays.

 

I think long service leave is great for the employee, but what is the cost to everyone else? I know school teachers who seem to have long service leave every few years. It seems to be more common in the public sector, many private firms don't seem to have very good working conditions.

 

I think public sector workers have a very cushy time of it, especially firefighters, police, teachers etc, compared to the UK. I used to work in a newly privatised ex-publicly owned company (SGIC) back in the 90's and was amazed by the mentality. Many employees only stayed working there because they wanted to get retrenched (made redundant) - which seemed to be their main goal in life. I know a teacher who spends the whole time talking about how much money he's going to get when he retires. And I've met firemen who've been the same, just talking about how much money they get. There's certainly a different work ethic here.

 

Long service leave is a relic from a bygone era. It was introduced to give migrants long enough to go back for a holiday to their country of origin (i.e. Europe) on a BOAT.

[Guest Nick11]

A teacher I know had a day off coz she wanted to get some shopping done. It was classed as a mental health day!!!!!!!

[Guest WhatNow?]

A teacher I know had a day off coz she wanted to get some shopping done. It was classed as a mental health day!!!!!!!

 

 

Love it...and what about 'sick days'?

[Guest kerfumph]

You *can* get 3 months off every 10 years. Simple really, and considering most jobs only give you 4 weeks annual compared to 6 in the UK it works about the same.

 

 

http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/uploaded_files/long_service_leave.pdf

[Guest WhatNow?]

I don't begrudge folk the time off but how can you run a business when your staff can disappear for that length of time?

[Guest kangomik]

8 days sick is almost compulsory leave time to Aussies, my new place has 10 and again you can roll them over. Long leave some companys do after 5 years. Some that do it at 10 do it again at 15 if you haven't taken any!

 

Ask if you can go walk about for 3 months un paid, the chances are you will get a yes.

 

Yes a Company can "encourage" you to take not only your long service leave, but also your annual leave.

 

Leave loading i hear it's now gone out of the window, and without a change to your contract employers will no longer be required to pay this extra. I think it has come into force already, so theres another 17% on 4 weeks wages gone!

[Guest kerfumph]

I don't begrudge folk the time off but how can you run a business when your staff can disappear for that length of time?

 

You do have 10 years to plan it!!

[sueoc]

It leaves me amazed here!The sicky culture is an unwritten law where i work, loads of staff take a day off almost every single week with headache,tummy ache,cold etc.If they take 2 or more days they have to produce doctors certificate,so it's almost always 1 day off(with pay)No one ever asks when they return if they are better,it's taboo!The plus point for me is there's lot's of overtime to cover :jiggy:No ones ever off sick on a bank holiday though!

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

When i worked at Bunnings after you had 10 years service you got 10 weeks long service leave....cool

 

HG

[Guest MrsHills]

Although I 'earn' i days sick per months and can carry it forward, it is up to me whether I take it or not. If I have more than three days in a row I have to get a certificate from Doc - BUT if I have to go for operation or something where I need to take six weeks sick - I can only have those days I have 'earned' - if I am off for more than I have banked, I have to use annual leave or go unpaid. I think that is the case for most places. - so beware about using all your sick on not really sick days!

[Guest Tina]

plus some industries are bringing in portable long service leave... and this means.. you don't have to stay with the employer for 10yrs, as long as you stay in that industry it travels with you from one employer to another...

[mydearboy]

plus some industries are bringing in portable long service leave... and this means.. you don't have to stay with the employer for 10yrs, as long as you stay in that industry it travels with you from one employer to another...

 

Sick leave here is frightning, anyone who uses their sick leave when not sick must be completley crazy.

 

If you are generaly sick/inured ie car crash and you do not have sick days banked thats it tough luck, not like in the uk when you can take off 6months full pay etc. This is one of the main issues that scares me living here!

[lorluc]

Yep...pretty much the norm i reckon...........if you do not have sick or annual leave banked....then you wont be entitled to pay...

 

My husband had a month off sick last year...although his contract says he is entitled to 4 weeks annual leave and 2 week sick...as he hadnt been there for very long and only had a few days of sick 'banked'...once that was gone, he then went onto his annual leave that was 'banked'...and then it was no pay...

 

So BE WARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!