Help - Seeking advice/opinions

[Eggman]

I am in a bit of a unique situation at the moment. I am employed at my school as 0.8 so I work 4 days a week, and for the last few years I have also done the electrical tagging and testing for the school. This was seperate from my lab tech duties, I only did it on my day off and I was paid by school council.
Now when the new ES agreement came out in 2008 and I was supposed to be elevated to Level 1 Range 2, that wasn't done so I had to request a range review. After a few months that was finally sorted and I thought it was all fine...
Now the principal is telling me that as part of that range review she decided to include the electrical testing and tagging as part of my lab technician duties and I need to do it in my own time, I wont be coming in on my day off or getting paid any extra. It's not the money I care about, it's the sneaky, disrespectful and underhanded way this was done that offends me.
She feels it fits in under the OHS work dimensions that relate to us keeping our MSDS and RA's up to date.
"Undertake relevant occupational health and safety requirements and, where necessary, risk assessments within the relative work area "
I have my union staff rep involved and he is gathering info so I thought I'd try and do the same and see if anyone here has had any similar experiences or advice?

[sunray18]

I dont have any experience on this - but was wondering if you created your own company to do the tagging/testing as a sub-contractor... and offer that service to other schools tradesmen etc.. would that help? Then the school couldnt get you to do it for free?
We have ot pay for ours to be done - even though the person who used to do it is employed one day a week at the school...

I got so angry when I read your post - there is no integrity in your administration..

[Eggman]

When I first started doing the testing I stipulated that the two jobs would remain seperate and they were fine with that, unfortunantely this was the previous administration who were far more honerable and honest, and silly me I never got anything in writing.
Thanks Sunray, sadly this is just one event on a long list of this administrations adventures.

[ri]

I thought only a qualified electrician could do the testing?? Out school's electrical contractor does this.
Be careful, if there is an accident with something you have tested, you are liable. Check this out.

[Eggman]

It's a one day course for the testing. I'm not qualified to actually fix anything if it fails the testing but I can test it.

[dime]

I assume you paid for your qualification to do the tagging. This a separate qualification that has nothing to do with being a labbie. I also assume you are at a private school, as a govt school would not expect this. Do you have to renew your qualification? If so maybe not do that. Were you given a statement of duties at any stage? Perhaps you could ask everyone on this forum if they have to undertake testing as part of their duties. I for one certainly don't. Being a govt school this is out sourced.
Could you ask the principal if she had a qualification, one that has nothing to do with the school, like tennis coaching, would she be prepared to include tennis coaching in her list of duties each week, without any extra time or pay to compensate.
Wish you luck and look forward to hearing how you get on. Keep your chin up.

[Voice]

Eggman, please email me on smith.maree.m@edumail.vic.gov.au

YOU obviously work for a government school and need to know a lot.

Maree

[smiley]

Well, I don't know what the legislation is in your state, but beware of rocking the boat too much. I was told recently by an electrician-instructor at the local TAFE, that having an employee do the testing and tagging in any form of organization is the equivalent to self-regulating banks! In other words, the integrity of the testing can be viewed as suspect, because it's in the best interests of the organization to pass everything, so pressure can be applied to the employee, and therefore it's not an "open" or disinterested process.

Now before you bombard me with cynical notes about self-interested electricians, I'm just passing on the perspective that such testing ought to be done by third parties.

Therefore, you could rock the boat and refuse to do it on company time, but you could do yourself out of the job entirely!

[RosalieM]

I think that you could argue if another lab assistant took over your job and didn't have the qualification, what would they do? They shouldn't take advantage of your qualification and not pay you for it. That is just wrong. The labbie that follows you could end up with not enough hours for their job if they (admin) turn around and say "eggman did this job plus the tagging in 0.8 workload. You don't have to do testing because you don't have qualifications therefore you only need 0.6 or 0.7" and thus the science department is deprived of their services!

[dime]

Excellent point Smiley

[matchstick]

I think your principal is taking advantage of your qualifications....and using you.Here in NSW its not a requirment for the job of labbie.
I would be telling them to get a quilfied company to do the job...cause it might sound dogy to auditors if the equipment is tested and the saftey sheet is signed off by a school employee...all in house?...know what I mean.

Be safe and cover your job...if anything happens ...you will cop the wrath.......

[estelle]

Sound a bit like our school. One of our casual teachers happens to be a plumber in a previous life, so guess who gets to do some of the plumbing jobs around the school on his free periods.
Same as the previous GA who had electrician qualifications, they used him up as well!
Tagging here, is done by a company who is contracted by the DET. Can't imagine they would be too pleased to know they were missing out on work.
Estelle

[fiona]

I'm thinking this happens at all schools. My dad is an IT technician at the school he works at but he is also a licensed cabler. He does all the cabling in his free hours after his usual work for no extra money. He has his materials covered (I think) but not the tools he had to buy to get the job done. My friend is a qualified gymnastics coach and worked in sports admin at a school. She was asked to come and take the class for gymnastics lessons. So I'm keeping all my extra qualifications to myself. But i'd love to see how they could make my gymnastics coaching qualification part of my job.

[merilyn]

I don't know, Fiona, but maybe some sort of floor exercise whilst balancing a bottle of acid in one hand and a base in the other? Could be spectacular if things go bad!

[dolphinscales]

add it to your duties - underhanded yes but typical if you ask me

in your own time _ NO WAY

we dont get paid enough to do work in your own time.

[Voice]

This thread about the ability of staff to perform other duties is quite interesting.

If one is qualified to teach gymnastics and is told to do so as part of his/her duties, then for that time, the 'coach' should be paid a casual rate of a specialist coach. And, let's face it, some coaches can charge an enormous amount.

Maybe that is what people need to do. This is not a qualification required to perform the normal task. If the person was not already working in the school, the students would have to go without or the school pay good money for a specialised coach.

I did write to Eggman and spoke to him on the telephone.

His school has only 300 students and is a government school. To be working 4 days a week in those circumstances is unheard of unless the school numbers have dropped.

Any tools he uses should be paid for by the school.

However, if he insists that the testing and tagging be done outside of his normal hours he just might put his job in jeopardy.
I work in Science at at prep. to year 9 school and look after 600+ students. And I work the same hours as Eggman for those students.

The government schools need to rationalise their workforces and that is what this principal is doing.

In my last school, the numbers went down to 150, but I was also working in Maths with student work, Mathletics administration, the library and also help out occasionally the office. And still I was put in 'excess'. The school was paying me too much for the work I was doing. Eggman's time of 4 days a week is the same. The principal may decide to do to him what was done to me. Then you have to find a job somewhere else.

Good luck to you all with these extra talents.

But try and hold out for some better acknowledgement with a few more bucks.

Maree

[lita*]

I suppose I shouldn't be shocked at such an abuse of a worker by a person in a position of power, but I am. Equally by the other stories, I would personally consult an employment solicitor, because they could help you with a strategy that allows you to feel that you are in a more equal position. Aside from that I have nothing except to give you my sincere encouragement. Sometimes it is the right time to stand up and sometimes it isn't, go with your gut instinct.

[dime]

I reiterate the point of a statement of duties. That is what a statement is for. In NSW it is clearly written. I know that the last point of our st of D says anythingelse the principal directs, but that would have to apply to anyone employed to do the lab duties, not just one person who happens to have qualifications in another area.
Don't forget the point of the tagging being done by someone independent. That is a most important point and should be investigated within the department to see if that is how it should be done. A principal cannot override a directive from the department.
Consulting an employment solicitor is also an excellent idea. A teacher in science did here only a couple of years ago, and helped her handle the problem head teacher and the boss. Gave her support, ideas etc. I suppose the trick is standing up to bullies in a confident way.
Another point is Eggman permanent? If you are, you are surely on solid ground in standing up for your rights.

[JudyM]

I can't really see a problem with school staff tagging their own equipment. If a piece of equipment fails the test but is tagged as compliant then surely the tester would be cutting their own throat if someone is injured (or worse). I certainly wouldn't want that hanging over my head. If it fails, so be it. Get it fixed or ditch it.

I did the course which was over a 2 day period at TAFE. Thankfully in NSW we are no longer required to tag and test every single item regularly, only the ones that are used in a hostile environment.

Eggman, I wish I could give some words of encouragement but seeing as your school numbers are low I don't think you can do much about it. Perhaps you can negotiate with the principal to revert to the previous arrangement if the numbers increase next year.

Good luck