British IT worker calls out ‘unfair’ Australian workplace laws

A British expat that has missed tens of thousands of dollars of rights has launched a petition to revise 'unfair' workplace laws.

Laura Denby was one of the 100 employees who let go when Sydney IT company XAM Consulting went into liquidation without notice last September.

Unlike her colleagues, the IT company analyst was on a temporarily competent visa, so that she was not eligible for any severance payments for the five years that she worked there.

The rights schedule of the federal government guarantee the schedule Guarantees that Australian citizens, permanent inhabitants and some visa holders receive unpaid wages, dismissal wage and other rights if their employer goes bankrupt.

Although Mrs. Denby had moved to Australia six years earlier and the fact that her task sponsored her competent visa application for permanent residence, she received no payment under the scheme.

While her colleagues were each paid around $ 40,000, she felt 'stripped' without money, no job and no residence sponsor.

She has launched a change.org petition lobbying for reforms in the workplace in the hope that no other visa worker will go through a similar test.

Mrs Denby said it was 'unfair' that she was placed in such a difficult financial position when she had already started the process of becoming an Australian citizen.

Laura Denby received no rights or a payment when her employer went into liquidation

“I didn't earn money and I just registered a new lease in my apartment, which I could not afford to break,” she told Nine News.

“We had no idea it would happen.

'As a competent employee, we must sign a form to say that we are a resident for tax purposes…. But then we will not receive any rights if we are difficult for the times. '

After she had lost her job, Mrs. Denby became so stressed and sick that a car was made the diagnosis.

She was planning to buy her first home and found a family as soon as her permanent residence was granted.

The British expat was forced to withdraw her visa application and restart the entire request.

Mrs. Dendy has a waiting time of 18 months before she returns to where she was in the process.

She managed to find a new job within a few weeks after she had been released, thanks to a contact person at XAM Consulting.

Laura Denby was not entitled to payments because she had a temporarily competent visa

Mrs. Denby Wil Temporary employees who are included in the schedule of fair rights as quickly as possible.

'Migrating employees contribute to the economy of Australia, but are excluded from the schedule of Fair Entitlings Guarantee (FEG). If their employer becomes insolvent, they will not receive support. This is unfair and has to change, “she wrote in the petition.

“Their exclusion distinguishes itself against people who are busy becoming full members of the Australian workforce.”

The petition has already collected more than 500 signatures within fourteen days.

A spokesperson for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has confirmed that migrating employees only have the right to be paid a deployed employee rights in priority to the in stock of other uncovered creditors, in stock that funds are available on the insolvency estate ' .