Bob did not give staff proper breaks. Suzie asked for her breaks and stuck up for her fellow workers, which she believed prompted Bob to become antagonistic towards her.
Bob asked Suzie to perform duties well above that of a bartender, such as event coordination, without any additional pay and constantly pressured her to work more hours each week than her visa allowed. Suzie felt very anxious about this.
Under her previous boss, senior members of staff were allowed to take soft drinks without payment. Bob had apparently stopped this practice, although Suzie was never informed about the change.
Suzie arrived at work one morning and was told by Bob that she was dismissed for stealing a can of Coke the day before. He did not allow her to discuss the matter and told her to leave immediately. He said he would call the police if she entered the workplace again.
At this stage, Suzie believed she was dismissed. She called Head Office who told her they would have to investigate the theft issue, that she was not yet dismissed and asked her to come in for a meeting a few days later. Suzie felt confused about what was going on.
Anxious about her meeting with management, Suzie approached RLC’s International Student Service. RLC advised her to prepare for the meeting by writing down her concerns about her conditions and suggested she take a support person with her to the meeting. RLC advised that if she was in fact dismissed, she had 21 days to lodge an unfair dismissal claim with Fair Work Australia and that RLC could assist her with this process.
RLC contacted Suzie a few days after the meeting. Suzie said that she still had her job and that she felt confident discussing her concerns with management. She asked not to be rostered on when Bob was supervising, not to perform higher duties without an increase in pay and not to be asked to work more than her student visa allowed. These requests were granted.
Suzie knows that if her conditions at work deteriorate once again, RLC’s International Student Service is only a phone call away.
