Is Travel for Work "Working"?

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  [Deactivated] on 26/02/2019 - 17:18

  +4

  Are you paid the bare minimum? If yes, then the boss delaying you will count towards overtime. Public transport or traffic delays, no.

  If you're not paid bare minimum, it all depends on how much you want to keep your job.

  Would you consider the travel time "working" on the way back to the primary centre?

  If your job requires to sign out from the primary centre, yes. If it is not a requirement. No.

• 

  dcep on 26/02/2019 - 17:19

  what does your contract says about overtime ?

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 26/02/2019 - 19:13

    +9

    It says the prevailing jurisdiction on decisions regarding workplace entitlements, hours of work and renumeration is Australia's foremost bargains website.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 26/02/2019 - 20:32

      -1

      Labour is just another commodity.

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  crentist on 26/02/2019 - 19:06

  Whether your company agrees that it should entitle you to overtime may be between you and them, but it seems like the ATO would consider that claimable work-related travel.

  https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/income-and-deductions/ded…

  You can claim the cost of travelling:
  -from your normal workplace to an alternative workplace that is not a regular workplace (for example, a client's premises) while still on duty, and back to your normal workplace or directly home

• 

  Diji1 on 26/02/2019 - 19:12

  +3

  In order to cut costs and become a flexible work place

  That's code for lowering pay and conditions.

  Large businesses are set up to to screw workers while making the largest amount of money possible meaning sky high prices for consumers - unlike the Government sector.

  Some neoliberal fundamentalist is probably going to jump in here and insist that the opposite is true because they refuse to look at reality which is the opposite of the stupid economic theory.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 26/02/2019 - 22:41

    +1

    Large businesses are set up to to screw workers while making the largest amount of money possible

    True. If they're not the most cost efficient, their competitor will be.

    …meaning sky high prices for consumers

    False. Only in a monopoly can a company just raise prices. Like the above scenario, if someone can offer the equivalent product for less…

    unlike the Government sector.

    …seriously? The entity that doesn't have to really answer to stake holders and can engineer their own market is going to be cost efficient and "priced competitively?". Really now?

    • 

      HighAndDry on 27/02/2019 - 01:08

      The point about the government is kind of true. Unlike businesses, the government has zero pressure to be cost efficient or price competitive - its effectively unlimited revenue raising capacity means it can infinitely charge below cost for anything and everything.

      In the context of private organisations, it's not unlike organised crone who extort businesses while using a fraction of those funds to bribe street urchins and deadbeats to do the bulk of its heavy lifting.

  • 

    brendanm on 28/02/2019 - 19:25

    The government sector is extremely inefficient, and we all pay for that inefficiency in our taxes. Even if they were to make a product at a loss, the difference comes straight from the taxpayer. The only ones to benefit from this are people on benefits or paying no/low tax.

    As above, the private sector is always more efficient as they can't lose money hand over fist.

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  [Deactivated] on 26/02/2019 - 21:00

  I am in this exact situation where I work roughly half a day at one office and half a day at another. I am provided a vehicle for travel and am clocked on for travel time (~30 mins).

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  JimmyF on 26/02/2019 - 21:37

  If delayed by either the employer or by the transport, should I be paid extra/overtime?

  It 'depends', while the answer is YES, it will depend on how late you are. If you're delayed once a week by 5 or 10 mins late back, then you're pretty petty to be asking for overtime.

  But if you're getting back 30 mins past your shift each day, then yes you should be claiming it.

  Its swings and roundabouts, 5 mins here, is taken back later as I'm sure some days you get back early with the PT gods align.

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  RandomNinja on 26/02/2019 - 22:22

  Do you have to return to the primary centre at the end of a shift? If you can head straight home instead then maybe some days you win, some days you don't, but hopefully all balances out in the end

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  tallkid123 on 27/02/2019 - 08:34

  Sounds terribly exhausting.

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  Ugly on 27/02/2019 - 08:41

  Well, the ATO says

  You can claim the cost of travelling…. if you had shifting places of employment – you regularly work at more than one site each day before returning home, or
  from your home to an alternative workplace that is not a regular workplace for work purposes, and then to your normal workplace or directly home.

  If the ATO says travel is a work expense, then any time spent travelling between workplaces must then be work.

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  Wallyt99 on 28/02/2019 - 22:40

  In my view you are lucky your boss lets you leave early in order to get back to the other centre.

  If you were my staff member and you raised it as an issue I would make sure you worked your full hours instead.

  • 

    Wallyt99 on 28/02/2019 - 22:42

    Btw - I am certain your contract states you may be required to work at other sites when directed.