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IR and OH&S Advice and Support 

Industrial Relations claims and disputes have been on the increase under the Rudd-Gillard IR laws and to help handle this, SARTA Members have the benefit of access to a wide range of professional Industrial Relations advice and support services from SAMS. SAMS has extensive experience in IR and OH&S and specialises in the transport industry, which means that SARTA Members can take advantage of SAMS expert  "Outside the Square Innovative Solutions" for employers in the transport industry. 

All routine IR and OH&S enquiries from SARTA Members are handled by the SAMS team as part of the operator's SARTA Membership service without any extra charge. Such routine enquiries include:

1. Award enquiries - wage rates (including online wage tables) and Award interpretations etc;
2. Whether the employer is covered by the federal or state system and by which Award(s);
3. Advice about how to Employ and engage staff
4. Advice PRIOR to dismissing or disciplining an employee;
5. Contractor vs employee issues;
6. The routine daily business of managing employees;
7. Union Rights of Entry and how to respond to Union activity and issues; and
8. OH&S general enquires - etc, etc.

All of this and more is FREE to SARTA Members.

So join SARTA Now and get expert IR and OH&S advice and support on routine issues for FREE.

In addition to the FREE routine advice, where SAMS's expert services are required in a more substantive way on non-routine issues, then SARTA Members can take advantage of the substantial discounts provided to SARTA Members by SAMS. This includes:

1. Resolving Dismissal Claims with Fair Work Australia or the SA IR Commission;
2. Resolving Wage and back-pay claims with FWA, Fair Work Ombudsman, SAIRC or the Unions etc;
3. Resolving IR Disputes;
4. IR Agreements with employees - either with individual employees within the Award or Enterprise Agreements;
5. OH&S Policies and Procedures and Manuals; and
6. OH&S Site Risk Assessments.

The services and support available to SARTA Members from SAMS are summarised below.

Resolving Wage & Dismissal Claims or Industrial Disputes:

SAMS has an excellent record in resolving employees' Wage and Dismissal claims and in helping employers through Industrial Disputes and can provide a realistic assessment of your case and work to resolve matters quickly and without fuss. We recommend that you seek SAMS advice before making decisions that may lead to such claims and disputes.

Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal and General Protections Claims:

Unfair or Wrongful Dismissal claims and General Protection Claims can be very disruptive to the business and its operation and if handled badly can lead to further problems with other employees. They can also be very expensive, due to settlement payouts and the internal business costs in responding to them. The federal and state dismissal laws are complex and employers should take care and seek advice BEFORE dismissing anyone. SAMS can advise you on how to minimize the risk of a Dismissal Claim or General Protections Claim and how to respond, including representing you in defending the claim.

Industrial Agreements with Employees:

Wages are a major business cost so you need to strike the balance between providing attractive wages and conditions for your employees and ensuring your business is competitive and viable. SAMS has a wealth of experience in helping our clients achieve this with employee Agreements that meet the business needs, at competitive rates.

Get the Best Wages and Productivity Outcomes through Agreements: The only legal alternative to Agreements is to comply wholly with the Award(s), which can be very hard to do given that every company’s needs are different. There is no point having an Agreement if it does not provide some tangible benefit for the business, whether its securing industrial stability, productivity or just wages certainty for the life of the Agreement. The correct legal procedures must be followed before any Agreement can be approved by the authorities.

SAMS can help you in three ways:  

1. Advise you on developing your own Agreements;
2. Develop Agreements for you; or
3. Manage the whole process for you, including negotiating with employees or the union(s).

Industrial Representation:

SAMS can represent your business in Industrial Relations matters, including deadling with the authorities such as the FWO or FWA, in negotiations with unions and/or employees, in responding to Dismissal and Wage/Back-pay claims and in responding to Workers Compensation Claims.

Current Award Rates and Advice:

Interpretation of awards and complying with their provisions is a continual challenge for employers. Getting this wrong can be very costly for your business and failure to keep-up-to-date with wage rates can lead to costly back-pay claims. Employees are able to claim back-pay for up to 6 years from the date of their claim! Many Back-Pay Claims are invalid or incorrect and SAMS can help you resolve them and with advice on the wages you should be paying - to avoid further claims.

Check Your Exposure to Claims: with SAMS IR Compliance Audit

SAMS can perform a basic wage Award Compliance audit and give you an idea of any exposure and where your rates sit as compared with the relevant Award(s). Many Businesses are exposed because their base rates of pay are wrong OR because they apply them or the Penalty Rates incorrectly.

Get it Right From The Time You Employ Someone:

The most effective employment process actually starts with the employment stage itself. So setting up the employment relationship correctly, with a little bit of paperwork,  will save many headaches later on. The IR system is complicated and the consequences of ignoring the rules or making a mistake can be quite serious. If you are hiring a new employee, considering terminating an employee or just have some general questions regarding the overall employment relationship call SAMS for advice.