In this edition of the SDA News, I want to share a story which underlines the importance of our trained SDA Shop Stewards. Even when our members decide to follow a different path which turns out to be a dead end, the SDA via our Shop Stewards, Delegates and Officials will continue to support our members. Secondly, I wanted to make a comment concerning redundancy.

Read on….

Case Study:

1. Jack, an SDA member, commences work for a medium sized retailer.
2. Within the first three months of employment, the Store Manager has a chat with Jack and suggests he could go a ‘long way’ with the company if he followed the ‘same path’ as he did.
3. Jack asks his Manager to explain what he meant by the ‘same path’.
4. The Manager told Jack that when he commenced work with the company, he worked a lot of unpaid overtime and by doing so, the Manager was told by his then Store Manager that he “would have a bright future” with the company.
5. Jack starts working unpaid overtime and other SDA members become concerned.
6. An SDA Shop Steward has a ‘quiet word’ in Jack’s ear and informs him that the manager has played this game before with five other staff members. Each time, it had ended in tears.
7. Jack informed his union rep that he was prepared to take his chances.
8. The SDA Shop Steward suggested that the member should keep accurate records of his unpaid overtime.
9. The Store Manager speaks glowingly about the performance of doing unpaid overtime in a team meeting and suggests that other staff members should jump on board.
10. Three months becomes thirty months of employment and the carrot keeps being presented, but still, the store manager does not offer a promotion to Jack.
11. Jack had followed his Shop Steward’s advice and kept records of all the unpaid overtime he worked.
12. Jack pursues a backpay claim for all unpaid overtime over the last 30 months with the company.
13. The Store Manager refuses to pay Jack and stated that Jack had freely worked the hours.
14. After consulting with the SDA Shop Steward, the SDA Organiser takes the matter to Head Office.
15. The Company pays the backpay because the Store Manager was fully aware that Jack was working the unpaid overtime and in fact, ‘held the person up’ as a shining beacon at staff meetings.
16. The Regional Manager had a meeting with the Store Manager and suggests that he should resign from the company.
17. The recently departed Store Manager is currently looking for a new job.