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need some guidance

clutchkicker
Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:12:53 GMT

hi, never written anything here but im after some previous experience. my job provider has had me working for 18 months with no job offers even though im a young 20 year old qualified boiler maker at one of their work for dole programs, my boss is great out there(he shows us skills and will individually teach us) but the head honchos in the office are the worst. i suffered from a massive dip in mental health when my bestfriend commited suicide in 2015, when iv handed in medical certificates and one of the admin read it she told me depression was not a medical reason an that she would not accept it an called me lazy for not working, which resulted in me going to centrelink to give it to them but told me i have to also provide one to my provider which someone else accepted when i went back. i had a few more encounters with the horrible admin/job provider whilst living my life month to month when handing in med certificates which she always tried not to accept and after a while she actually got her way as centerlink rejected my certificate for no reason, after that i was co ntemplating suicide and it felt horrible to be told my depression isnt a medical condition. i had to sell my car to keep up with rent an food an about 5 weeks after i sold my car i was now homeless in a rural town for months collecting nearly 1kg of aluminum cans/car parts for $1 just to eat twice a week, i actually had a fair bit of support from the community as the mechanic would let me pick his scrap bin and most places who reclyced let me take it away. so now we are in start 2017 i got back on track and once again started WFD (same agency as we only have the 1) the first 2 weeks were normal but then i started getting moved from group to group after i signed onto my job sheet and was told i was to be using my 4 years of training to be welding shed frames/building frames together un supervised which they make a good profit of $2000 + every shed (privately sold on gumtree) while i get $5.25 an hour for $315 a fortnight for slave labour. iv been reading an i feel like they have breached alot of things, as im constantly working at heights over 2M with no harness, im welding with no fire extingushers around, i have to use my own welder an gas and im never reimbursed because that office apperntly doesnt handle reimbursement the one in sydney does (im in fnq btw), i dont have a supervisor around usually and if i ever bring up not wanting to weld im often met with "its your dole that will be cut not my pay" . i know what their doing wrong and probably illegal but i feel powerless an dont know what to do, i use to enjoy going to WFD but i feel as if im working in a sweatshop in thailand thankyou for reading an anyhelp!

antidolerebutt
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 01:27:27 GMT

One of the things you can do is to call worksafe. Outline your issues just like you have here. In fact you should be able to do it all online. Tell them you are doing WFD and feel you are being forced to work in an unsafe working envrionment. Request them to send an inspector to isnpect your 'workplace.' let them kow when its a good time of them to come. When you communicate with your job services provider ALWAYS, ALWAYS follow up any verbal communiction with the same communication in writing. You can do this with email and take screen shots of every page so you can prove what you wrote, at some point in the future. Also print the email to PDF and file it somewhere. Example - eg "dear whoever, please acknowledge this message by return email. "today (or whenever) xyz date, at about xyz time, I visisted you in your office at xyz location and discussed with you my fears and or concers that I am working in unsafe condititions when I am doing my work for the dole activity, and that I have communicated this to you in person at our meeting today or by phone or by phone messa ge (whichever applies) Please acknowledge this email or letter (whatever) by return email or letter, thank you your name. When you deliver ANY documents by hand to your job services provider, or centerlink ask or tell them to copy it and SIGN it. This copy is your PROOF you have delviered it to them. Doing this will put pressure on them to meet their legal responsbilies towards you. These people always employ safety people but you always go through you job service provider contact with all your issues If they refuse to copy and sign your documents or acknowledge your emails make sure you let centerlink and this organsation know. Again make sure you get a contact recepit number from Centlerlink whenever you contact them. You must keep a diary with the recipt number and a summary of what the matter was you discussed with them. You must tell your job service provider know you are using your own tools and that this is costing you xyz dollars per week and that you want them to reimberse you for it. Alternatively just dont tell anyone you have this equipment when it comes to so called, voluntry work.

clutchkicker
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:26:50 GMT

thanks for the reply, im pretty firm when im verbal but iv overheard by higher ups during my monthly job an been told if i dont like it to go make bead jewlery with the girls at that point i told him i cant guarantee the next shed i build wont collapse at which this point he was so angry i just ignored him an tried to carry on with the meeting but that wasnt possible so the girl wrapped it up for me an i left feeling pretty good i was able to push his buttons if i had tons of video proof of alot of the wrong stuff im made to do would i be able to submit it, id love to get a mass compilation of videos from differnt groups an towns an city and bring attention to a problems nearly every group has wether its health an saftey, out dated tools an eltrical cord, unsafe tools and harrasment everywhere

clutchkicker
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:35:29 GMT

thankyou for the tip too about signing my paperwork i usually just get a second copy back an they take the original, they have the tools i use but their so poor quality like the grinders dont have gaurds on them an every eltrical cord is outdated by atleast a year an needs to be checked over which is why i use my tools, and their welder a stick welder that trips every 10 seconds which isnt really safe. i know it sounds picky but i spent a majority of my 4 years welding peices for navy projects on their ships so i refuse to even use a 1 day outdated eletrical cord

antidolerebutt
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:16:34 GMT

If you argue safety they are farily powerless to do anything about you. The issues you mention should be communicated to worksafe via their website with a request to attend the site and investiage your claims. These are clear transgressions of the safety laws. When inspectors visit a site, they may issue an improvement notice or a prohibition notice which is given to the employer. When they go back to their office they complete a report which is then filed in the records. You can obtain a copy of this report either by email request or, if they wont play ball, by freemdom of information law but it takes about 12 months to get under FOI. The problem is, as far as I know, the application of the occuptional safeyt and health laws and its enforcement in work for the dole proejcts is something of a no mans land. I hope I'm wrong on that. Please advise if you know. thanks

clutchkicker
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 07:01:27 GMT

thanks for the reply, we had a inspector come out well over 40 tools were taken away to be inspected an evaluated but the day he originaly came to inspect our whole group wasnt there but surprise surprise we were at someones property getting ready to lay cement while people in the office got paid just over a grand for our work (i was talking to the owner of the property an he didnt even know we were work for the dole and was surprised we work just as hard as a proper job) and honnestly im getting tired of being shifted to random places to do work while they get cash in hand for our work ,we dont even benifit it our normal work area doesnt even have a water filter so we're forced to bring water or drink bore and dont even get me started on the struggle to get work clothes out of them i havent gotten new boots or shirts or pants for months they always just say wear normal shoesand clothing till their ordered in(was months ago but same excuse every appointment) but did you know if you dont wear steel caps on wfd sites your not eligible for compensation bit suss i reckon one final matter now. does anyone know the laws of being moved from your normal group area because in the last 30 days iv put up 3 sheds for difffernt work for dole groups, laid bricks for driveways, built a bar for local football club and now the cement laying, if anyone is with rise formally known as jobfind but changed their name due to not bothering providing jobs