News

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Life Without Barriers to correct underpayment error following CPSU NSW action


Underpayment – Dec 2020 (PDF version)

Earlier this year the CPSU NSW identified the possible systemic underpayment of shift penalties for part-time staff working additional hours with Life Without Barriers (LWB).

What was the underpayment?

Where a part-time employee worked a shift which contained both core and additional hours, LWB was not necessarily applying the shift penalties to the additional hours, once the penalty loading period commenced.

For example, if you worked a shift which was 10:00pm-8:00am, of which 6:00am-8:00am was additional hours, LWB was not applying the 15 per cent shift loading to the hours of 6:00am-8:00am.

What is happening now?

The CPSU NSW wrote to LWB raising the apparent application error on shift penalty. LWB investigated and, to its credit, acknowledged a fault in its payroll systems in relation to shifts which contained both core and additional hours.

LWB has agreed to back pay those affected employees. The period spans from 22 February 2018 to 13 September 2020. We anticipate some staff will be entitled to substantial payments.

If you are an affected employee, you should have been sent an email this week advising you of the issue and back payment.

Without the union this underpayment may not have been identified. Please make sure your colleagues know. If they are not members, ask them to join the CPSU NSW at www.cpsunsw.org.au/join.

If you have any questions, please contact the CPSU NSW call 1300 772 679 or email .

 

CPSU NSW – With You at Work!!