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Saturday, 4 February 2012 |
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Overtime for IT professionals - of course
Thursday, 10 June 2004
Many IT professionals are not aware of the overtime/ time in lieu provisions of the Information Technology Industry (Professional Employees) Award 2001. The award provides for compensation or time-in-lieu compensated for work outside ordinary hours. This can include time worked in excess of ordinary hours of duty, time worked on call backs, time spent on stand-by and performing work remotely after hours, late at night or on weekends.
However, the working of unpaid or "underpaid" overtime is a problem that is a very prevalent occurrence in the IT industry
Some of the factors that contribute to this situation include the downturn in the IT industry; having to meat unrealistic deadlines, due to a highly competitive market; keeping a job when others are being made redundant; and the struggle to obtain a promotion. All of these factors create an environment where many IT professionals feel that they cannot say no to the demands that are made upon them.
In the ITPA's experience, a few agreements with the large IT company's have time in lieu or overtime provisions in the agreement. If your agreement does not contain such a provision - it does not mean that you are not entitled to the benefits of this minimum standards award.
Members of the ITPA can contact their local ITPA office for assistance with unpaid overtime. It may be that action needs to be taken to ensure that an employer becomes a respondent to the award or that the award itself be enforced.
The West Australian Government will attempt to cap working hours to a maximum of 56 hours a week. They are also looking at limiting successive long shifts, and making sure that workers get rest breaks.
The Gallop government is looking to introduce a Working Hours Code of Practice and enforcing this through the Occupational Health and Safety framework, which obliges employers to provide a safe workplace.
The ITPA is a special interest group of APESMA.
ITPA
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Tight employersHmmm....I didn't know there was such a thing. Maybe most employers don't know either. Then again, even if they did know, they're going to snub it because employers have the power. Employees in order to keep their job are unlikely to refuse over time requests even if it is unreasonable. Anon, 06/18/2006 06:59:13 AM
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