A flat wage rate leaving disability support workers significantly worse off was uncovered at Amazing Grace Community Services two years ago, after a member of the United Workers Union took their payslips and issues with their employer to seek a fair go.
Resolution of the pay dispute wasn't a straightforward process however, with the company accusing UWU of "propoganda" and "defamatory statements".
In documents filed by UWU in the Fair Work Commission, the company told Branch Secretary Erina Early that the union's correspondence: "falsey states Amazing Grace Community may be underpaying it's staff.
"This is a deceptive and misleading assumption with no substantiated evidence provided to your members.
"If the allegation is proven to be incorrect on behalf of United Workers Union, Amazing Grace will pursue that the Union retract the statement by advising your membership that no discrepancy was substantiated via public apology for creating mistrust within our employees.
The wages in dispute were the flat rate of $36.50 per hour, for the loss of penalty rates. Amazing Grace stated their calculations were guaranteed to be compliant after requesting Employsure review it "again".
The UWU claimed in documents filed with the Fair Work Commission that a rate of $44.23 would be needed to ensure that employees were better off overall, during the period of calculation, involving very few public holidays.
"In our calculations during the period ebwteen 6 October and 7 December 2022, [the employee] was underpaid by $1,497.12 (plus superannuation). This ranges weekly from $56.98 up to $243.84 each week. My calculations suggest that for [the employee] a flat rate of $44.23 would be needed to ensure that he was better off overall this period."
Amazing Grace wrote to its employees in April 2023 acknowledging an underpayment.
The UWU sought assistance through the Fair Work Commission in the resolving the dispute, filing: "various attempts to follow up rectification of [the employees] entitlements under the Award over a period of 8 months.
"The respondent has not made any genuine attempts to resolve the dispute with the applicant over the course of the 12-months that the applicant has been attempting to engage with it."
Former and current employees of Amazing Grace who were not members of the United Workers Union also benefited from the tenacity of the one member to get a proper and just rate of pay.
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