Casuals (1 Viewer)

[Nelly_04]

Hey guys, just wondering what rights etc casuals have. For example, if your boss calls you in for work, giving you just two hours notice, or if you can't do a particular day is acceptable to refuse without getting into trouble/fired?
Is there a maximum number of hours casuals can do a week?
The reason I'm asking, is that recently my boss is calling in me for work at very short notice, and giving me way too many shifts, depsite knowing that I have uni and a second job. I fell guilty/afraid of refusing even thoguh many of these shifts are inconvenient for me. How many hours are most of you casuals working? I know that it probably varies from workplace to workplace but just wanted to know in general.

Thanks!

 

[mitsui]

umm i believe casuals generally do less than 35hrs a week? but the times can be different week afta week
ur boss can call u at anytime b4 asking u to a shift. but legally, the minimum shift length should be 3hrs
u have the rights to refuse shifts so long it is within reasonable degree (like u r not getting the job juz becoz u feel like it)..they r not allow to fire u on that situation, but if they r realli in need of someone more available, they will gradually give u less shifts, and let u decide whether to stay or quit

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Um I don't know if you really have any rights legally but it all comes down to how reasonable the employer is. My rule is usually if they ring up and it's not going to be a major pain or I have free time I do the shift, so that if they ring up next time and I have something on I can try and say no... and then if they bitch I can remind them that I have said yes in the past and helped them out but I simply cannot say yes today.

But a lot of it comes down to how big/small the business is, because if they can't find someone at all to cover the shift, they will be really pissed off. But I don't think you have to say yes all the time, I certainly don't. But I don't value my employment hugely at most places anyway, when I am at work I work as hard as I can and I never screw people over with shifts or anything, but if they ring and ask me to work and it is inconvenient, I say no, simply because I am a job whore and I have worked so many jobs and never ever been sacked and I know they won't fire me because I generally don't stuff them around like most of the other employees do. But sometimes I feel bad when I am working in small business if they are really stressed and cave in and do shifts when it is inconvenient. Depends on the circumstances.

Try saying no once and see what happens. You will never know if you don't give it a try, you sound like you are a good worker so I highly doubt you would get sacked. If your boss is loopy though I dunno.

 

[Nelly_04]

Hey thanks for your replies guys! I told them I couldn't come in when they called today, and the supervisor was annoyed but no major dramas. I actually work at Coles, so its a big business and they have plenty of employees.

 

[cro_angel]

Casuals dont have maximum hours.. but they cant do more than 6 days (im doing 38 hours this week).
If it is at coles and you really cant do it.. dont worry about it. I did the open yesterday and someone called in sick so I called like 20 others to see if they would do the shift or extend their normal one and no one would.. but meh you get over it.

 

[Mr_Shrimp]

yeah I'm at Coles too. You just have to be straight with your department manager. I work in the deli and they've been cutting shifts for the last few weeks to save costs (which is EXTREMELY annoying for employees and customers because there's hardly anyone in the deli..) but because I'm 16, i'm the cheapest person in the deli so I still get heaps of hours.... (ergh..)

As a casual, you don't have to accept any shift. Even if you're rostered you can tell your manager that you can't do it and if they're reasonable (and YOU are reasonable with time..) it should be fine.

All employers are different though. they might hold grudges if you cancel or decline too many shifts and stop giving you hours (which they're allowed to do..). I know a guy who got a small injury at work, it was reported and he got sent to the doctor for checkup. Doctor asks where it happened, he says at work, Doctor says he can claim workers comp, he says ok, whatever and does it all, gets a little bit of money. He didn't get any more shifts after that

 

[Annegelic]

^lol @ that guy with the injury.. that's pretty slack of the employer..

 

[Katie123]

i think that may be an illegal thing of the employer. I didnt think on workers comp they could reduce hours at all.... they are supposed to do light duties or something like that

 

[...]

thats the reason why casuals per hr, get paid more than part time and full time

it is mainly because of the "insecurity" and the "uncertainity" whether you will be working or not

Employers have the right to call you 2hrs to before and ask you to work, however, after you start your shift, you have to work at least 3hrs, this applies for both part time and casuals (i think)

 

[ur_inner_child]

^yeah the job security factor

this is all new to me, about the 2 hour thing.

generally my boss and i have made an agreement. Work two days a week, 8 hours, unless uni gets in the way. When someone makes an overseas trip and I can fill in, I get overtime. Which I think, last time I figured it out, was around $22 instead of the usual $15 an hour. (I think time and a half?)

I can take days off, and when I have uni holidays, I come in a bit more, unless they're Christmas holidays, he expects me to do full time, 9-5, every day (which is splendid compared to people who actually do the full time work)

They never call me in.

yay for me