Australia's Science Forum

Good morning everyone!

Was just having morning tea with my lovely friend who is a library assistant here at my school. Anyways she was complaining about her low pay (its just not enough for all those tempting shoes) and I was curious about how much she was paid and was very surprised to find that she gets just over 5grand more a year than I do (and we have all the same holidays etc)! Now I think she deserves what she gets and should probably get even more, butI alone am in charge of the 6 science labs here and all the responsibility that comes with that, whereas all she does (in her own words) is covering books Isnt that a bit wrong??? What is it like at your schools, do you know? Is it common that library assistants get better pay than us??? If not I am definetly gonna ask for a payrise

Sassi

We are definantly worth a lot more! Librarians get paid more as there is usually a diploma involved and they are classed as technicians where we are usually graded as 'clerks' in the DET. I don't do much clerical work at all! Not if I can help it.

Saw a position advertised in the Central Coast Express last week for clerk grade 1/2 (what we are graded at) at Hornsby district command for the police and they are offering $55,000 a year compared to our $32,000. Admittedly we work 31.25 hours compared to their 38 hour week but still....it doesn't work out per hour at all. When was our last payrise in accordance with current inflation and the cost of living eh? We get paid a pittance for what we do and the knowledge we need to possess.

Now you know why I have to work 2 jobs. I could not make ends meet on the wage I get from the NSW DET. It pays for my tax and that's about it. Lucky I love what I do! I like libraries but the thought of working in one full time would bore me senseless - plus I'm too loud a person!

$32000!!! Yikes, that is impossible to live off... i must say that I seem to be quite lucky then i guess, cause I get ~47000, altough I do work 40hr weeks, but honestly think that that is no where near enough for the responsibility this job involves... It is outrageuous that you should only be paid 32! Something must be done about this!

My group certificate came through last week, and I feel sure it had $36,1??.?? on it. We are due for a rise, the goverment have said 2.5%, but the PSA have said that is not enough. I thought all DET SAO's were on the same wage, the ones that start now, are on a lower pay. We I believe are classed as grade 1/2 clerks. Can any one help us here?????????????

Yes our Union - but the Public Service Association are the lasiest union in the history of the universe when it comes to chasing pay increases. Just look at their website. The school assistant section has been under construction for about 3 years.

I was wrong - $36*** is much closer to the mark. See? I don't even look at my payslip - it's hardly worth it!!!!

well done Richard, I have been trying to attach the PSA awards, but got called away, So thank you

I have contacted Sue Walsh from the PSA and their industrial relations person for where it is up to with the latest pay increase. The DET have offered 2.5% and the PSA have rejected it saying it is not nearly enough. They are producing a package for the DET with a list of increases they want met.

We have a library tech and a teacher. Tech does cover books and cataloques them and the teacher as she puts it "reads to pupils"
Teacher librarian is payed the same as a teacher, but the tech. is payed the same as myself. We work 37hrs a week for 38 weeks and get $42000.
Sassi, if you work over 37hrs a week, you must get overtime rate.
We do deserve better.
Lada

Having looked at your files, I am assuming that you earn $22.27 per hour by 31.25 hours per week by 52 weeks. Is this correct?
Maree

Adding to my previous note, what holidays do you get? All the school holidays, 10 weeks or just 4 weeks per year?
Maree

All school holidays. We get paid for what we work then it is distributed evenly into equal pays over the year.

If this is the case then my pay as a Science Lab. Tech. on an SSO1-2 salary, top of the range rate of pay, is over $4000 less that you per year.
I work 38 hours per week and get all the school holidays. If I was earning at $22.27 per hour, I would earn $4000+ more per year.
There are other Lab. Techs. who earn even less that me!
I do wonder how the union is going regarding talks with our government.
Thank you for all your information.
Maree

Lada, I work 80 hrs a week @ 22.15, I dont get any overtime. Should I be getting overtime???

Eh? 80 hours a week? In the one job and no overtime - are you kidding? I work 75 hours a week over 2 jobs and I can tell you I get paid for every minute of it. That's incredible. Are you a GP?

Just got off the phone again to the PSA and there is a government forum taking place here in NSW for a 4% increase for all in the public service and additional time allocated to looking into correcting the mis-allignment of 'clerk grades' to all school assistants. This means the government acknowledge that we in science have a speciallised field and that this should be recognised. Fingers Crossed.

The PSA are of the view that if you work out the 41 weeks that we actually work that our rate of pay really is quite good.

Ooooooooooooops, 40 hrs a week

Crikey! You'd have to get yourself cloned to work 80HPW. 40 that's more like it. Still a lot in a school though.

In section 18 of that document from the PSA it mentions ovetime.Does anyone know if we are entitled to get paid overtime if we are required to work extra time at school eg. coming in during holidays to attend to aquariums ect. and having to work 45 minutes extra every Thursday afternoon to cover the phones in the office? I have been asked to do those extra hours and then take time in lieu, but if overtime was offered I would prefer that. Considering any time I am away no one is put in my area so you have to basically make up the time you are away anyway.
Estelle.

Yep!
Even our mob, take our annual wage and say you only work 30hrs/week so we will deduct 25%
then you only work 40 weeks / year so will deduct another 20% then because we are such a caring employer we will divide that by 26 so we can pay you the same amount every fortnight, so we are working for half a wage My total for last year $35,800 gross.
When a minimum wage case comes up they quote our wage as an equalivalent wage of $60,000 / year
My fuel costs to get to work used to be $70 /week 9% of gross wage it is now costing me over $110 / week for fuel 14%, an increase of 5% inm fuel alone not to mention food and everything else, Thank God I don't have a morgage! and the employer has offered 2.5%
Think it might be time to return to the real world!

I beileve over time, is up to the Principal, most Principal's like you to take the time, much less paper work, so I am told. Also our SAM Senior Admin Manger will not let any SAO (us) do over time. Tell them you want the money not the time. If this is a regular thing, tell them, NO time the money.

They can agree to pay you overtime - it's up to the principal or else there is time in lieu. If they don't offer you either don't do it! They are getting away with it because almost all of us are agreeing to work over and above what we are employed to do. The unions want us to stop it so they can bargain more effectivley for proper staffing and better pay.