Latest news with #MichelleMartin
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Teacher Michelle Martin sues Cairns Rudolf Steiner School over right to disconnect laws
A former primary school teacher has claimed she was unfairly sacked for allegedly raising complaints with her employer and refusing to respond outside working hours. Michelle Martin, who was a Class 1 teacher at Cairns Rudolf Steiner School in Kuranda State Forest, Queensland, filed a statement of claim in federal court in May. In it, she accused the independent school, which is also run under the name Cairns Hinterland Steiner, of unfair dismissal and has sought a payout of $780,000. Ms Martin alleged she was targeted after complaining about child safety and a person reviewing the school. She also said they insisted on contacting her during the holiday period, when she was exercising her 'right to disconnect'. Under laws launched by the Albanese government in August 2024, employees have the right to refuse employer or third-party contact outside working hours. By citing the law in her statement, Ms Martin's case is understood to be a first for Australia in referencing the new workplace rules. 'Teaching is the only profession that creates all others,' Ms Martin's legal representative Tom O'Donnell, from O'Donnell Legal, told Daily Mail Australia. 'We understand this case may help clarify how the Right to Disconnect provisions operate in practice - not just for teachers, but for all Australian workers.' In March, the Fair Work Commission heard that Ms Martin made two complaints to the school between January and March last year. She then took leave due to stress and a medical report informed the school on August 27 that discussing the prospect of not returning to work could make exacerbate it. The commission also heard that discussing potential legal consequences, negative feedback or warnings could also negatively impact her. On September 12, despite recommendations and during school holiday, the school emailed Ms Martin a letter setting out six allegations of 'management matters'. The letter told her to respond in writing by close of business in eight days, still during the holiday period. Ms Martin responded through her solicitor, pointing out that it was the school holidays and that she was receiving treatment for a medical condition. 'The response referred to the right to disconnect... and proposed a revised date,' the commission heard, but the school maintained Ms Martin was not on holiday. On October 8, Ms Martin was dismissed, 'purportedly based on (her) failure to respond to the allegations,' the commission heard. The school refuted allegations it had breached workplace rights or contraventions during the commission's hearing. Daily Mail Australia has contacted it for comment. In Ms Martin's statement of claim, filed on May 2, she argued she lost out on thousands of dollars. She claimed she would have stayed on in the role for six years, which meant she lost $730,000 in income. She also requested $50,000 for hurt and humiliation. Her claim said the refusal to extend the deadline to respond, and the decision to sack her, 'directly or indirectly prevented the applicant from exercising her right to disconnect'. 'For Ms Martin and her family, these proceedings represent her legal right to seek redress following the termination of her employment as a teacher,' Mr O'Donnell said. With legal proceedings underway, Mr O'Donnell said it would be inappropriate to comment on specific details of the case. According to the new workplace laws, a worker can legally ignore calls and texts from their boss out of hours. But it doesn't apply to emergencies, and working out what's reasonable includes the reason for making contact, how disruptive it is, the nature of someone's job and their personal circumstances including caring responsibilities.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Economic inactivity: Childcare costs are forcing people out of work
A woman in east Belfast has had to temporarily stop working because she could not afford the cost of Michelle Martin has taken a career break because her childcare costs were more expensive than her salary as a special needs classroom assistant in east said when her two older children were in nursery in 2017 and 2018, the price then was £45 per day."Now we are looking between £70-80 per day, just for one child and then I would need wraparound care on top of that." When she sat down and worked out the numbers, their childcare bill would be about £2,000 a month, which is more than she was said: "I have trained very hard to be in the position that I'm in and I've been in the job for 14 years, it's a job I really enjoy and a job that I think I'm good at, so having to make that decision to come out wasn't easy."I was quite upset about it at the time, the only thing stopping me from going back to work is the cost of childcare."Unfortunately the pay isn't great from the education board for special needs classroom assistants, so having the increased childcare costs is having a real knock on effect." 'I would love to work' She said the 15% subsidy works out about £400 a month, but as their childcare bill is about £2,000 per month, she described it as "a bit of a drop in the ocean"."I would love to go back to work. I think even just for my mental health and being out of the house and having connections within work and the future training you have within work. "It's something I want to do, I've done my degree in it. It was always my lifelong goal to be in this position so the fact that I have had to come out is a bitter pill to swallow." Economic inactivity is one of the biggest problems facing the Northern Ireland refers to the number of people who are not in work nor looking for a job and there are many reasons why people have to leave the workforce. Rebecca Harper, co-founder of Melted Parents campaign group, says they are being inundated with messages from parents in a similar position to Michelle."We know there's a skills shortage in Northern Ireland that is set to get worse and yet we are contacted every single day by incredibly skilled, mostly women, like doctors and nurses who are leaving the workforce due to childcare costs," she said."Not only can you not afford to go to work, but you also cannot afford to live off one salary so families are at absolute crisis point because of the childcare costs in Northern Ireland."She said many childcare providers were putting up prices now to cover the increases in National Insurance contributions and minimum wage in April."It's very easy for people to say 'you shouldn't have had kids if you can't afford them', but childcare fees have increased astronomically in the last few years in a way that no-one could have foreseen. "But also, we need people to be having children because we need future taxpayers and a future workforce."
