When full-time staff won a decrease in the number of hours they worked from 40 hours per week to 38.5 they effectively received a pay increase because they were earning the same amount of money for working less hours. Part-time workers at Phone Assist have not been given this pay increase though. Finsec member, Phil Berghan-Whyman, who works two days a week first raised this issue with Finsec:
“I went to the bank and said ‘You realise that this is giving everybody who works full time a pay rise. As a part timer am I also going to receive a pay rise?’ They said ‘no’.”
“They entirely refused to deal with it.”
So, as part of the Enforcers campaign, Phone Assist staff launched a petition and wrote an open letter which Phone Assist Union Councillor, Sara Mcintyre, is presenting to the bank this week.
Finsec also launched a calculator so that Phone Assist staff could demonstrate just how much money they were missing out on because of the bank’s inaction.
Sara says that the campaign has generated lots of support: “We are just getting into the swing of things – Wellington members have really got on board and are supporting our part timers. Basically we are just taking the first steps to have something underway to get this fixed.”
“With the wins that we have won for full timers at Phone Assist, for every half hour less work we need to do per week we get more pay per hour. The part timers should be getting a pay rise as well and nothing is being done. The whole point is to include everybody.”
Phil agrees:
“It is not much in terms of individual weeks but it is a fair amount of money over a longer time. My biggest gripe is that it tends to entirely undervalue the part time staff. The bank is saying ‘Because you’re not full time we’re not going to give you the same respect and the same remuneration, which we used to do’.”
...the gossip 
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