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Browsing tag: work

  • March 23, 2009

    According to BF’s first payslip, he is on slightly above the minimum wage.

    I told him to get in touch with the co. and find out what’s happening with holiday pay. As a “temp” he should be receiving 8% holiday pay and if not then accruing leave. Neither is showing on his payslip.

    Funny how debate over the minimum wage never concerned me until now. I was far above it. So was he. I guess it’s pretty easy to slip back down. We really need to work out a path for him. In the long term he really needs to get qualified, whether it’s in his last field or something completely new. That’s our best shot long term. Sure he could stay here and work his way up, but he’s starting from so low down, and they seem pretty dodge in wanting to keep all their fulltimers on temp contracts. And his skills would only be specific to this co. which is NOT a recipe for success.

    I was thinking, it’s hard to drop down $4 an hour – even more considering the short contract gig he had in between. But expenses should also be lower. Less gas. Less wear and tear. And less travelling time. Lunches are cheaper because of the area (lots more choice, cheaper, local lunch bars, dairies, other food outlets). And he is not paying for tools or other gear out of his paycheck. For most of his time at the old co. he was paying something or other off, reducing his takehome.

    I guess we’ll see, the budget is gonna have to be pretty fluid this year, considering the time I will have to take off work for my internship and other things.

  • March 13, 2009

    When it rains, it pours

    BF got a call from Carter Holt Harvey (big NZ name. HUGE company) for an interview for a storeman position. Also a big position…better than the one he just started. He told them already found work. And this place won’t want to let him go; they’ve apparently been saying how they were reluctant and are afraid he’s overqualified and is going to up and leave for something better.

    So yeah, that would be a way better job but one he probably has only a small chance of getting. I can’t imagine how many people they would be interviewing. This job is a sure thing, at least for now, and it’s close to home.

    BF is on night shift next week – a new phenomenon – but is actually quite looking forward to it. Apparently it’s quite cruisy. Although there are only about a quarter of the number of staff on at night compared to day, and they don’t get paid extra, it’s supposed to be quite cruisy. Working 11pm-7am (the truest graveyard shift I ever did see) means I pretty much won’t see him at all next week, though.

  • March 10, 2009

    Hope on the horizon

    Good news! BF’s second job interview went well and he has the job!!! Woohoo!!!

    The recruitment consultant actually asked him if he felt it was “below” him.

    Frankly, any job is a fantastic job at the mo, and I’m sure hundreds or thousands of other people feel the same way at the moment. If something better comes up, he’ll pass it on – but a bird in the hand, etc. BF is just mondo excited to be going to work tomorrow. Plus, if this works
    out we don’t want to antagonise them.

    They’ve worked with BF’s old company, which is probably how he got the interview (they have a good relationship I
    think, and are impressed with their reputation). It’s close to home, literally down the road, and should be a job that he can pick up pretty fast. Is it menial? Sure, to an extent, and I don’t know how much he’s going to
    be making. Minimum wage would be fine by me – it’s a hell of a lot more than nothing. Probably the most problematic part is that they work shifts – rotating shifts, so he’s working from 8am tomorrow, then will be on afternoon the next day and probably doing the evening shift the day after. That will probably be hard to get used to.

    In the meantime I guess we can keep looking, although step it down a notch maybe, and see what else the recruitment guy comes up with. He seems to be impressed and quite likes BF by the sounds of it.

  • March 8, 2009

    BF went into his old workplace this week, dropped off some stuff and picked up some stuff. His super expensive grinder wasn’t there. Luckily it’s named, and the boss knows it’s his and should be there somewhere…

    Apparently it’s dead there. No contracts, no work. Half of the staff were made redundant.

    Woop woop.

  • March 2, 2009

    Whew, just finished my first day of uni and I’m drained. It’s going to be a heinous semester. 20ish hours of classes, plus 14ish of work, plus working on assignments in my own time. (Why so much class time? Shorthand in itself is almost another whole paper, plus Editing and Design and News Reporting have extra long tutes).

    Then we have something like 14 assignments – it’s all internal – plus the one article a week we have to write. And I’ve just found out we have to write another two for the student newspaper, and ANOTHER two separate ones for Public Affairs. There’s going to be so much extra work outside of class, some of it group stuff, and with my chocka schedule (it does not look unlike a typical M-F 40 hour week) that’s not going to fly very well. Along with six others I need to go meet the editor of our assigned community paper in the next few days, for example. That is already probably gonna require me taking time off work.

    Stress levels rising. Frazzled nerves. Better not think about it and just get on with it.

    But I think I could deal with all that if only BF could find work. His job situation (lack of) is what has me worried.

  • February 28, 2009

    Wish I had a crystal ball

    You know, I may only be twenty but by gosh I feel SO much older right now.

    Must be grand to be living the quintessential uni experience.

    What does BF’s future hold? He’s young, he still doesn’t know what he wants to do. Make money, yeah. Do something he’s good at and doesn’t hate.

    He could go back and study something like accounting or IT. He could call Skills4Work back up and take up an apprenticeship and get qualified (hopefully would be accelerated given his experience thus far…but who knows if anyone is hiring now. He was, however, top of the list for that very reason before he pulled back a couple of months ago and don’t see why he wouldn’t still be). That’s a three year commitment. About half of what he’s used to making, but trade qualified by the end. He’ll still only be 23 by then.

    We also noticed the Army advertising quite a few civilian officer roles. He called up the army line and spoke with them briefly. He would have to reenlist. We don’t know really what that involves; he’s done his training, will working in a civilian role mean they can move him around, uproot him? I’ll broach the subject with him tomorrow. It’s a big decision and not one to make lightly – you don’t just hop in and out of the defence force, you commit to it. He’s already left once, for a reason. It’s a whole lifestyle, though like I said we don’t know what it’s like outside of the soldier’s perspective. He was quite thoughtful after that phone call. I’d be scared, for sure. It’s now been exactly three years since he left for army basic, and two and a half since he returned and came back to normal life. But I guess that’s the hardest part, the training, and now it’s over and done with. And a career with the army is stable, bar the moving around.

    What to do?

  • February 27, 2009

    What a day….

    what a day it’s been.

    FINALLY, got my restricted licence…passed the test with a lovely instructor, who DIDN’T make me do a three point turn, but did make me reverse round a curve (which I totally flunked) and parallel park at the end.

    03-driving-us-course_l2_w728_h340

    Far cry from the douche I had the first time, who belittled me, patronised me, and said my nervousness was NOT his problem and he couldn’t do anything about it. Fair enough, but he was the one who mentioned being nervous FIRST, why bring it up to make snide, pointless comments? He also (after telling me I wasn’t allowed to wear sunglasses) rudely asked if I minded him wearing his…refused to call out my name in the waiting room, like all the other instructors – obviously didn’t even want to attempt to pronounce a ‘foreign’ sounding name, and told me “you’re trying…you’re trying hard, and you’ve got some points, but we’ll see if you can keep them, if that’s enough to get through”.

    WANKER.

    winz_232

    Anywho, after that brilliant start to the morning, popped into Work and Income with the bf. Turns out, seeing as I’ll be receiving student allowance (a whopping $183) and making maybe $150ish from work a week, Bf is INELIGIBLE for any assistance. No unemployment. Doesn’t matter, he could have nothing saved, be starving on the street, nope – my $330ish will just have to sustain us! Doesn’t matter that rent alone is $205, and the rest will just cover food – no transport, bills, clothing, emergencies, savings, debt repayments. Doesn’t matter we’ve been paying taxes. Even if I quit my measly job (which I wouldn’t, it’s an amazing foot in the door) he STILL wouldn’t be able to get unemployment. I’m sensing some disparity with their definition of unemployed here…

    What fucks me off most is that Studylink DO NOT recognise us as partners. It’s only a ‘relationship’ if you’re 24 or over (or 25?). Not so for WINZ. But wtf – they are both govt departments, why the different rules? Why such discrepancies? Get your shit together and get it straight, you can’t have it both ways. You need to align your policies. Obviously if he is to squeeze a cent out of them we’d have to break up or one of us move out and live separately. How fucked up is that?

    How am I supposed to support us on student allowance and my paltry earnings? I pointed this out, politely, to the receptionist. She shrugged. Repeated that she couldn’t help. Stopping work would not help. Jesus fecking Christ. BF’s brother and sister get money every week for their children. And they won’t give him a bleeding dollar; nevermind that he has been out there WORKING, contributing to our economy, and has now been made redundant.

    I read the other day that less that 800 people nationwide were receiving assistance under the ReStart package. I thought that was shockingly low. Not so, anymore. Not after this afternoon. And according to fellow Kiwis in strife on the TradeMe message boards, the unemployment figures are far higher than what’s been released.

    I plan to be writing to Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennett. This ‘policy’ is ridiculous.

  • February 25, 2009

    Onwards and upwards

    BF finally got laid off, officially. The letter was sent almost two weeks ago, but to our old address. We got it today.
    I’m hoping we  will quality for the Restart package. I don’t know if we would qualify as our rent is low so we might not be eligible for the full accommodation supplement.

    He’s owed a little from his last day  or two of contracting, but the guy has seemingly done a runner.

    but we’ll see.

    I know I’ve been wanting this, closure, but it’s a bit of a shock as well – we weren’t quite expecting it to be quite this bad. I mean of course this was a huge possiblity, but we both, I think, held in the back of our minds that this was something to fall back on. that he could go back there – once everything was smoothed out and the new year turned over, things would go back to normal. But they seem to have halved their staff.

    The redundancy letter included two pay slips. the ‘one week’s notice paid out’ was holiday pay. They also started deducting his health insurance premiums from these, which they had been paying till now, and were supposed to; that’s the basic plan, where the employer pays the premium – FREE health insurance as they advertised it – too good to pass up!

    I need to try my best to support BF. It’s going to be a stressful enough, and expensive enough final year. Thankfully, my shorthand class has been moved to Monday, so no more six hours straight on Wednesday.

    Got to keep his spirits up, keep him motivated – don’t know how long it will take to find a job. I guess if nothing happens within a few months we should look at getting him into some sort of training. I have the Restart form and the extra help application form; just need to go get the unemployment one tomorrow.

    I can’t support us on a student allowance. There’s only so many hours i can work. But neither do I want to set him back by taking a totally crap job, unless it comes down to it. It’s pretty poor timing for our generation I think; has there been a worse time to start out in life recently?

    Well, unlike some we’re looking forward to turning 21 – we’ll be able to rent a car for road trips, find it easier to be considered for rental houses, hopefully lower insurance premiums, and generally get taken much more seriously in the real world.

    Onwards and upwards (??)

  • February 22, 2009

    I’d like to fly away….

    BF’s project has ended; such is life as a contractor I suppose. Not holding out any hopes of going back to Old Company, although they are still paying his health insurance, the new manager V is somewhat of a dipshit and does not like BF. Rumours are he will soon be ousted. Honestly, the dramas of management at that place. it’s ridiculous. How many times can you  possibly chop and change?

    Hoping to get a hold of Boss of the co. where his project just finished. Apparently he really liked him; he just didn’t like the guy BF worked under/contracted under, or his work ethic, they didn’t get along, hence the sudden windup. BF will propose to be taken on as an employee. If he can get through to him, that is. Being the head honcho he hasn’t been at the workshop all week.

    We have absolutely nothing this week…not helped by the fact that payroll managed to miss an entire day off my timesheet, and SL is still being deducted despite the fact that I’m pretty sure my balance is now zero or less. Have signed up to view balances in real time online, but now I’m waiting on my temporary verification code….

    And yet,,,,we’re talking about the end of year! The plan is to go away for a week. Somewhere tropical and lovely. Fiji. Bali. Raro. I dunno, don’t care too much really – we’ll have to get our passports, sort flights, book accommodation…and of course save and save some more.I’m a bit worried. I’ve never travelled on my own (well obviously he’ll be with me, but the only international travel I ever did was with my parents, YEARS ago) and don’t really know how to go about it. Particularly all the trip details. I definitely don’t want to pay a travel agent, but maybe we should have a chat to one at some point. I’m worried about finding a place to stay, getting from the airport to wherever, etc. I’m still signed up to all my travel newsletters, so I’m getting those every week and I can start paying attention to them later in the year.

    Gotta have something to look forward to!

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