When you start work for the first time – perhaps as a part time or casual
assistant at your local supermarket or café, or maybe as a full time apprentice
– your rights and responsibilities in the workplace can be a bit of a mystery.
So it is no surprise that you have suggested ‘youth at work’ as a discussion
topic here in the Australian Youth Forum.
The Government is keen to hear about your experiences – good and bad – at
work. We want to know if you found the transition to paid employment easy or a
challenge. Your ideas and experiences will tell us if there is anything else the
Australian Government can do to help you out at this important time.
When you start your first job, you may be placed in a situation of needing to
sign an agreement you might not understand. You may not know what your rights
are and feel that you cannot ask your employer to change anything. You might
also worry about your job security if you speak up against unfair treatment at
work.
To give young workers more information about employment and workplace
relations, the Government is developing a Young Workers’ Toolkit. The Toolkit
will provide all the information young people need about starting work and
getting on with their jobs. It will deal with some common questions that young
people confront on a daily basis at work, including:
- How do I find out how much I should be paid?
- What can I do if I think I am not being paid correctly?
- How do I bargain for my terms and conditions of employment?
- What should I look for in an employment contract?
- What is the difference between casual and ongoing or permanent
employment?
- Can I be required to do unpaid trial work?
- What’s the difference between work experience, volunteering and paid
work?
- I feel I have been bullied and harassed at work – what should I do?
- What meal or rest breaks am I entitled to?
- My boss rosters me on late at night when there is no public transport to
get home – what can I do?
- What can I do if I have problems during a training placement or
apprenticeship?
- I think I have been dismissed unfairly – what can I do?
- I am concerned I am being asked to do work that isn’t safe. What can I
do?
- I am an overseas student – do I have the same rights as local employees?
The Toolkit will give young people the facts when dealing with employers
about your employment conditions. It will also tell you where to go for advice
and support.
Your feedback on these issues will help make the Toolkit useful to young
Australians, so please contribute your ideas:
- What topics you would like to have covered as a part of this Toolkit?
- When starting work, what questions do you and other young Australians
have in relation to your rights and conditions at work?
- What problems you have encountered in your workplace, and whether they
were easy to resolve?
- If you had any positive experiences in your workplace or in dealing with
workplace problems that other young Australians can learn from?
By contributing your ideas now, you can help to ensure that the Government
does all it can to protect the rights of young people in the workplace in the
future.
Kate Ellis
Minister for Youth