Healthscope seem to be determined to undercut you when calculating leave payouts, we’re still pressing them to do not just what’s right, but what’s legally required of them.

Although we’ve now got confirmation that they’ll be paying redundancies properly (that is, including the allowances and shift penalties you’d have received), they’re still only willing to pay the 17.5% loading on your unused annual leave and refusing to pay shift penalties on it.

Unfortunately for Healthscope, the National Employment Standards (NES) say you have to be paid out for your annual leave based on what you’d have been paid if you were to have taken the leave. That would include shift penalties if you usually receive them.

The NES are the bare minimum standards that all employers have to meet, so it should be clear to Healthscope what they owe you.

On top of the mismanagement and horrible shock of the St Helen’s closure, it’s disappointing but no longer surprising that Healthscope seem determined to rip you off all the way to the bitter end.

We have given Healthscope one final chance to pay you correctly and if they do not, we will be formally lodging a dispute against them to fight for the money you are owed.