Disputes

A dispute occurs when a worker and his or her employer disagree about the worker's employment agreement. The dispute must be about what the employment agreement means or how the employment agreement works. A dispute cannot be about what should be in the employment agreement.

Some examples of things that might cause a dispute could be:

• Not receiving the right salary, wages, allowances or other pay
• Not being allowed to take annual leave or holidays or not receiving the right holiday pay
• Not correctly following the employment agreement

A dispute can be taken by any worker or group of workers, by a union that may have negotiated a collective agreement, or by an employer. The steps for dealing with a dispute are the same as for dealing with personal grievances.

It can be very complicated, so the best place to start is by talking over the problem with your workplace delegate and/or union organiser.