[Australia] Sydney Water payroll blunder leaves workers ‘freaking out’

In Australia, employees at one of the nation’s largest utility companies have been left “freaking out” after a payroll blunder left hundreds unpaid, news.com.au reports.

Sydney Water transferred its payroll services to a new system, Dayforce, at the start of July. A move which left its workers concerned about issues during transition.

Employees reportedly claim that they were due their first pay under the new system on July 14, with ongoing fortnightly payments to follow. 

Seemingly confirming their fears, some went underpaid, others were overpaid, some were paid late and some workers were not paid at all.

Other affected employees received incorrect super contributions and struggled marking rostered days off in the system.

Speaking to news.com.au, one worker (who requested anonymity) said the uncertainty was taking a huge toll on the company’s workforce.

“We’re all freaking out with worry, there is mass-level anxiety,” he said.

“I have had colleagues on the phone to me in tears at 2am worrying about whether they will be able to make alimony payments to be able to see their kids.

“We’re all stressing about whether we’ll be able to pay our rents, our mortgages, feed our children.”

The Australian Services Union (ASU) reportedly lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission demanding that provider fix its new system or return to the old one until the transition is smoothed out.

Angus McFarland - ASU secretary for NSW - stated that the union had warned the company that the software “could not cope with the complexity of a 24/7 workforce”.

“Hundreds of workers at Sydney Water have been short-changed or received their pay late, because (Sydney Water) refused to acknowledge problems flagged during the testing of the new payroll system.

“Our union warned Sydney Water not to switch to this botched software because tests proved it was not ready to be implemented.

“In one of the world’s most expensive cities, working people are living week-to-week, and rely on their pay going into their account in full and on time.

A Sydney Water spokesperson reportedly said the change was made because legacy systems “no longer met” requirements, adding that the firm was working to address issues.

“Sydney Water recognises that some employees have experienced payroll issues following the implementation of our new Dayforce system and we sincerely apologise to those affected,” the spokesman said.

“Being paid correctly and on time is a fundamental expectation and our priority is resolving these issues as quickly as possible and ensuring affected employees receive the support they need.

“As with many large-scale technology transitions, issues have emerged as the system has been embedded. We are aware of payroll processing issues affecting some employees and are working directly with those impacted to rectify them as a matter of urgency.

“We acknowledge the concerns raised by the ASU and are committed to working constructively with employees and unions.”

Source: news.com.au

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Australia, employees at one of the nation’s largest utility companies have been left “freaking out” after a payroll blunder left hundreds unpaid, news.com.au reports.

Sydney Water transferred its payroll services to a new system, Dayforce, at the start of July. A move which left its workers concerned about issues during transition.

Employees reportedly claim that they were due their first pay under the new system on July 14, with ongoing fortnightly payments to follow. 

Seemingly confirming their fears, some went underpaid, others were overpaid, some were paid late and some workers were not paid at all.

Other affected employees received incorrect super contributions and struggled marking rostered days off in the system.

Speaking to news.com.au, one worker (who requested anonymity) said the uncertainty was taking a huge toll on the company’s workforce.

“We’re all freaking out with worry, there is mass-level anxiety,” he said.

“I have had colleagues on the phone to me in tears at 2am worrying about whether they will be able to make alimony payments to be able to see their kids.

“We’re all stressing about whether we’ll be able to pay our rents, our mortgages, feed our children.”

The Australian Services Union (ASU) reportedly lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission demanding that provider fix its new system or return to the old one until the transition is smoothed out.

Angus McFarland - ASU secretary for NSW - stated that the union had warned the company that the software “could not cope with the complexity of a 24/7 workforce”.

“Hundreds of workers at Sydney Water have been short-changed or received their pay late, because (Sydney Water) refused to acknowledge problems flagged during the testing of the new payroll system.

“Our union warned Sydney Water not to switch to this botched software because tests proved it was not ready to be implemented.

“In one of the world’s most expensive cities, working people are living week-to-week, and rely on their pay going into their account in full and on time.

A Sydney Water spokesperson reportedly said the change was made because legacy systems “no longer met” requirements, adding that the firm was working to address issues.

“Sydney Water recognises that some employees have experienced payroll issues following the implementation of our new Dayforce system and we sincerely apologise to those affected,” the spokesman said.

“Being paid correctly and on time is a fundamental expectation and our priority is resolving these issues as quickly as possible and ensuring affected employees receive the support they need.

“As with many large-scale technology transitions, issues have emerged as the system has been embedded. We are aware of payroll processing issues affecting some employees and are working directly with those impacted to rectify them as a matter of urgency.

“We acknowledge the concerns raised by the ASU and are committed to working constructively with employees and unions.”

Source: news.com.au

(Quotes via original reporting)