Coles supermarkets 1 on 1 interview (1 Viewer)

[Evilo]

if you didnt work that week...no they dont take anything out of your pay, FFS its $4 man, and you never know what will happen down the road, just be safe and again FFS its $4 from your weekly wage.

Obviously i should have gone into more detail.

I work at liquorland (not coles supermarkets itself) so this is from the store point of view (remember still owned by coles and comes under the same union).

First point
If i have a 8 hour shift, i am allowed to have one break (after 6 hrs)*. In my case, if i take the break, i get 30 minutes less pay. If i don't take the break (with managers approval), the last 2 hours is payed at 1.5 pay. So to me, in a particularly easy job, Id rather have "1 extra hours" worth of pay than to sit on my ass for 30 min doing shit all.

But if you want to do the latter, if you are a member of the union, you will be told you are not allowed to do that. And the union will give your manager shit if they see "overtime no break" on your payslip.

*Changes from store to store.

Second point, Last year the union went into Headoffice looking for a 25% payrise for all liquorland employees. Coles was able to bargain them down to just a 3% increase, over 3 years. For me on a part time pay that "payrise" is about 15c an hour - i.e. nothing. Wow im glad to know my $4-10 straight out of my pay is going somewhere.

Thirdly (as mentioned before)

Unions are useful in the pre 90's era, and in an industrial workplace. But a big company like coles/wollies etc has to much to lose to fuk its employers over

 

[waysted]

i'm 17 and get paid $11 an hour causal... it goes up a fair bit once u turn 18 but i'm not sure to how much.

how many hours u get depends on how many staff they have, how busy it gets and how good you are.

me and this other chick started in december and there's not many staff in the deli, i get 20+ hours a week, she gets 4, coz she's stupid.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Obviously i should have gone into more detail.

I work at liquorland (not coles supermarkets itself) so this is from the store point of view (remember still owned by coles and comes under the same union).

First point
If i have a 8 hour shift, i am allowed to have one break (after 6 hrs)*. In my case, if i take the break, i get 30 minutes less pay. If i don't take the break (with managers approval), the last 2 hours is payed at 1.5 pay. So to me, in a particularly easy job, Id rather have "1 extra hours" worth of pay than to sit on my ass for 30 min doing shit all.

Man I kicked up a big stink about this at my store. Basically, were rostered on for 9 hours, during which we must take an unpaid 1 hour break. I asked if I could I could just be rostered on for one hour less and not have to take a break instead of having to sit around twiddling my thumbs for an hour, and apparently I cant for reasons no one can seem to be able to explain.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

But if you want to do the latter, if you are a member of the union, you will be told you are not allowed to do that. And the union will give your manager shit if they see "overtime no break" on your payslip.

Wait...so you're saying if I'm not part of the union they cant make me take an unpaid break?

 

[milocole]

doing the damn so called "online induction", quite a time waster for a year 12, and so booring, anyway i got a 92% in one assesment, so im all happy, thankgod i get paid for doing this crap

Also, seeing i have the group induction thingi soon, then will i get some intro at the store??? (still currently closed for renos in the entire shopping centre), cause theres gonna be like 100 peoples around the store who have no damn idea of what is going on(a new store with ALL new employees, yes ALL), it might be funny though

 

[Evilo]

Wait...so you're saying if I'm not part of the union they cant make me take an unpaid break?

If you are part of the union they will force you to take the break - whether you like it or not.

If you are not part of the union - assuming your manager prefers to pay "overtime no break"* then you will get the Choice** to take the break or not.

*alot of managers refuse to pay overtime etc, so this may not even apply to you. Just "not going on break" isnt an excuse to get no break overtime pay. They have to tell you in advance or make it physically impossible. I.e. you do late shift from 4-10pm and you're the only one in that store for the entire time (less likely in coles)

**If you're into workers rights and you want to have a break, then you can tell him (when this occurs) you dont want to be payed overtime no break penalty - and you want breaks instead. Its an optional sort of thing. i.e. when i came to liquorland they gave me the option of "surrendering" 1hr lunch breaks to 1/2 hr breaks. This keeps the 'rights@work' people happy, and means i get 30min etra pay in my pocket.

Sorry to go into heaps of detail, just trying to make it as clear as possible from my experience. (not trying to explain it like you're stupid or anything like that )

 

[Evilo]

Man I kicked up a big stink about this at my store. Basically, were rostered on for 9 hours, during which we must take an unpaid 1 hour break. I asked if I could I could just be rostered on for one hour less and not have to take a break instead of having to sit around twiddling my thumbs for an hour, and apparently I cant for reasons no one can seem to be able to explain.

that makes me so angry. In our case it was 6 hrs before a compulsery 1 hr break (manager refused to give 1/2 hr breaks). Every day he would give me a 7 hour shift (which i only get paid for 6). I got so annoyed at that store because i would finish a sandwhich in 10min, and sit in a park for 50min doing shit all when i could be at home.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

If you are part of the union they will force you to take the break - whether you like it or not.

If you are not part of the union - assuming your manager prefers to pay "overtime no break"* then you will get the Choice** to take the break or not.

And what if he doesn't prefer to pay overtime, which he most certainly wont?

 

[milocole]

Well if i have a break, il just walk home, only take me 3.5mins!!!, might go home to do some homework, wont have to buy anything, a win win situation for me

 

[CieL]

And what if he doesn't prefer to pay overtime, which he most certainly wont?

Yeah my store refuses to pay overtime too.
Just means you don't have any other choice.

 

[Evilo]

Yeah my store refuses to pay overtime too.
Just means you don't have any other choice.

correct, if they refuse to pay overtime, then you don't get overtime pay.

However, if they make you take overtime, but they only pay you normal rates - thats illegal and you should complain.

 

[kirbflare]

omg i had a 1 on 1 interview last week and then the interviewer explicitly told me he'd call me and i'd start next week. then today i got a bullshit email saying "reviewing all aspects of your application for a position and taking into account other available candidates, we regret to advise that your application has not been successful." yeah well fuck you coles

(sorry about the language but im just really po'd right now and i need to bitch about it to someone everyone else is still in uni now)

 

[wrxsti]

omg i had a 1 on 1 interview last week and then the interviewer explicitly told me he'd call me and i'd start next week. then today i got a bullshit email saying "reviewing all aspects of your application for a position and taking into account other available candidates, we regret to advise that your application has not been successful." yeah well fuck you coles

(sorry about the language but im just really po'd right now and i need to bitch about it to someone everyone else is still in uni now)

just call him back, might be an accidental email, and verify with him. If that doesnt work..then go to the store and shoplift.....its the only way.

 

[wrxsti]

However, if they make you take overtime, but they only pay you normal rates - thats illegal and you should complain.

that wont happen. What i really hate about coles is if your working a full-shift (8-9hrs i think). They give you two 15 min breaks which is awesome, gets you to relax your feet., but they also give you a 1 hour break, thats just ridiculous, i hate working full-shifts, cause when i get the 1 hour, i almost fall asleep and get to relaxed to start working again.

 

[Evilo]

that wont happen. :

exactly, but there is a "mixed" level of intelligence on BOS (see L&R forum) - so i had to state the obvious

 

[wrxsti]

exactly, but there is a "mixed" level of intelligence on BOS (see L&R forum) - so i had to state the obvious

ok

 

[milocole]

Guys, if there is only 80 people working at a new store, in a city's (right in the middle) shopping centre(biggest in the city), would you say it would be a coles central store???