Latest news with #Filippino
Otago Daily Times
06-05-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Work ‘finally' begins to aid overfull school
Kate Mansfield. Photo: Jules Chin Glenavy School has had a burgeoning roll due to immigration for dairy farming over the last four years. As a result it ''finally'' has new ''modernised and upgraded'' buildings for teaching and learning support. Three existing Ministry of Education prefabricated buildings based at Waitaki Girls' High School were moved to the rural primary school last October and a recent ministry tender awarded to Breen Construction for nearly $750,000 has meant reconstruction and refurbishment of the new teaching and multi-use spaces began this month. Kate Mansfield started in her role as principal of the school nine years ago when the roll was 65 and there were four classrooms. The roll is now 125, and space has been at a premium for not only the pupils but the school staff. She was elated construction was ''finally'' under way. ''It is really exciting. ... We have had to fight for everything we can get and my role growth is not just overnight, it's been going for a long time.'' Mrs Mansfield said finding space at the old school that has served its community for over 120 years, has been ''diabolical''. They have had to be ''quite creative'' by using the school library and a community building on the school grounds, that is funded by the school board, for teaching spaces, she said. ''Initially the ministry said it would just be for a short period of time. ''But we've had that class in the library since mid-term in 2023, so it's been a good year and a-half.'' With the school doubling in size since Mrs Mansfield tenure, there has also only been ''standing room only'' for some in the staffroom, the number of staff growing from eight to 25. Mrs Mansfield told the ministry it had become a ''health and safety'' issue for her staff and she was pleased one of the three buildings would be a multi-use space that could function as a staff room, and a break-out and space for a ''learning co-ordinator''. The two other buildings will be dedicated classrooms. Seventy percent of the pupils had English as a second language, with a large Filippino community, she said. ''The need for breakout spaces where teacher aides and teachers can take children away and just give them those small group supports and we just haven't had that space here.'' Mrs Mansfield said 99% of the families in the school community came from dairying which creates a flux in the roll, with people moving in and out of the area. The expected roll at the end of the year was 135, she said. Breen Construction is contracted to finish the classrooms by term 3. - By Jules Chin
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Perth Now
Aged carer gets $345k compo for racial discrimination
A nursing home has been ordered to pay an ex-employee $346,000 in compensation after a judge found she was fired because of her race. Wei Han, also known by the name Casey, worked at the St Basil's Homes Lakemba facility in Sydney's west for nine years before her contract was terminated. The registered nurse is Chinese and alleged she was ganged-up on by Filippino staff who operated as a clique, a Federal Court judgment revealed on Tuesday. In the period before her dismissal, Ms Han emailed her Filipino manager saying she felt repeatedly targeted by another co-worker and no longer felt safe working at the facility, according to the judgment. On Christmas Eve 2019, Ms Han sent another email expressing concern over staff members' refusal to assist her when providing care to residents at the home. "As things transpired, this was the final day that Ms Han worked at St Basil's," Justice Yaseen Shariff said. In response to Ms Han's allegations, the manager sought accounts from other staff members. Ms Han was fired from St Basil's in January 2020 for failing to provide necessary care to residents of St Basil's Nursing home. Justice Steven Rares, who was previously assigned to the judgment, found the manager used the information from the email to investigate Ms Han's professional conduct and labelled it a "trumped up attack". Justice Shariff agreed St Basil's "turned Ms Han's complaints on their head", instead of properly investigating her complaints. "The allegations as to Ms Han's failure to deliver adequate clinical care were based on flimsy foundations that were ultimately unsound." Justice Rares also found Ms Han was fired because of her race, and because her managers' preferred workers of a different (Filippino) race. "That is matter of considerable gravity," Justice Shariff said. He argued all employees including Ms Han have a right to make complaints about their employment, and found St Basil's breached this statutory protection. The conduct of St Basil's management team caused Ms Han to suffer mental harm and financial loss, Justice Shariff said. As a result, he ordered the aged care facility to pay their former employee more than $346,000 in compensation. In the years after the events relating to Ms Han, managerial staff at the time including the woman who handled her complaint are no longer employed at St Basil's, according to the judgment. It also alleged the nursing home has taken significant steps to improve its workplace culture and systems.
