Public Relations Issues

As the public relations manger I have been asked to outline issues with regards to the working conditions within this firm. I have had concerns about a variety of areas and I wish to address you all on them.

As new employees you are required to do the same job as others in the same position for the same amount of money. Because you are new does not mean you should be paid any less than some one who has been working there the longer than you. An award is a document that sets out the rights and responsibilities of employees who work in a particular type of job, regardless of who they are employed by. An individual employer gets no say in an award once it has been put in place. The award is designed to protect the rights of employees. The system of awards developed from the English system in the 19th century when protection against employers who would do the wrong thing by employees when exploited workers are being paid a very low wage and are expected to work long hours. An Award wage is in place to protect you as employees from being paid less that of what is required. Awards set out the minimum wage and conditions of employment for specific employees. These awards can include things such as the minimum rates of pay and allowances, overtime, shift penalty and other penalty rates, how If the many hours of work are required and leave provisions such as sick leave or personal leave. The protection for employees given by awards is good, but it is not always a strong form of protection when put to work. Employees might find that their employer is underpaying them. In other words the employer is paying them less than they are entitled to under the ward which is illegal. Though many employees are often unwilling to do anything about it because they think if they do complain their employer will make it harder for them at work or find a way to get them dismissed which is no exception.

The employers also have many rights just as you the employee does. Some of the employers rights include. Paying the correct wages and deducting tax from employee’s wages, Contributing to the employee’s superannuation. The superannuation guarantee has been in place since 1st of July 1992 and it requires employers to provide sufficient superannuation support for their employees. Employers are legally allowed to deduct 9% of an employees wage each pay and deposit this into a superannuation fund for you the employee. A choice of superannuation fund will apply from July 1 2005. This allows a choice of superannuation to provide certain employees with the right to choose the superannuation fund or retirement savings account that they will receive. Paying an insurance premium in case the employee is injured at work is also an obligation to every employer as well as paying payroll tax, though depending on how many people the company employs It is a criminal offence under the federal tax law not to make the proper deductions. Employers who do not pay the insurance premiums for workers compensation can face very heavy fines. Employers may also be required to make other deductions from your wages. It is fact that all employers must provide all equipment and tools as well as training on how to use these. If the employer does not provide all equipment that is expected to be used by their employer the employee can dispute this by taking action to either their union or the employer.

A main obligation to an employer is vicarious liability. Your employer is legally liable for the acts / actions of which you, the employee take. This is known as vicarious liability. This means that employers should take great care when selecting staff but more importantly training staff. In every workplace it is required that you know how to do your job and that you are shown the correct procedures on how to do basic tasks such as lift heavy boxes and ways to avoid injury. If the employer does not do this they could be liable to pay for the damage you have caused