MP calls for brave decision to end health service pay problems (Australia - computer payroll problems - 4 months)

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

http://www.abc.net.au/news/regionals/orange/regor-7oct1999-6.htm

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MP calls for brave decision to end health service pay problems

The State member for Orange, Russell Turner, says pay problems within the Mid West Health service have gone on for too long.

He says the health department needs to make the brave decision of putting a new payroll system in place.

Mr Turner says complaints to his office about incorrect payment died down about five weeks ago, when Mid West Health put measures in place to fix payroll problems, and staff decided to wait and see.

But he says complaints are again flowing in.

He says the problems have not been resolved in four months, and staff deserve better.

"Right down to people where their union fees are not being paid, their superannuation contributions are not being paid and their medicare benefit funds are not being paid," he said.

"It has led in some cases to people being denied medical benefits because they're not financial members."

He says he understands the Email appliance company uses the same payroll system as Mid West Health, but he is not receiving complaints from Email employees in Orange about their pay.

"It's not just this system that's leading to the low morale we all know they're woking very very hard not just at Orange Base but right throughout Mid West Health," he said.

"They've got very dedicated employees there and they deserve better than what they've got at the moment."

Mr Turner also says he believes an audit has been done of the whole system and staff have been denied the results.

Mid West Health chief, Martin Bowles says long-term solutions to payroll problems are still being implemented, and the system is improving.

Mr Bowles says "band-aid" solutions for the many layers of problems, are not an option.

He says the level of high-priority complaints such as non-payment or underpayment has decreased dramatically and the majority of enquiries now relate to more general matters.

) 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), October 07, 1999

Answers

another example...

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/100199_paymess01_19.htm

Lin k

Wrinkle in teachers' paychecks gets a little smoother

Mike Berry of The Sentinel Staff

Published in The Orlando Sentinel on October 1, 1999.

The latest payday for Orange County teachers went fairly well, but some teachers still were paid late or not at all this week under a new payroll computer system.

"A very small number" of teachers and substitute teachers were paid too little or not all Wednesday, school district spokesman Joe Mittiga said. He did not have an exact number but said the employees should be paid in full by the end of the week.

"It was considerably better than previous payrolls," he said.

Other employees, including bus drivers, clerks and maintenance workers, get paid next week.

Payroll problems began in July when the school system went to a complex new computer software.

School district officials have said employees who were shortchanged on payday were cut a special check within a few days to make up for it.

But Kathie Flagg, a resource teacher at Aloma Elementary, said Thursday she was short $980 on each of her Aug. 18 and Sept. 1 paychecks and that she did not get reimbursed until Sept. 3. The following check incorrectly docked her for medical insurance.

One of the biggest issues remains confusing, hard-to-decipher paystubs.

"We don't even know what they're paying us for," bus driver Carlos Garcia said.

Mittiga said correcting that problem is a top priority.

The continuing payroll problems were the subject of a School Board meeting Tuesday that resulted in unusual friction between Superintendent Dennis Smith and some School Board members.

Smith said that employees awarded a pay raise in July would not get back pay reflecting the raise until December. Because the School Board approves its budget in late September every year, employees usually get that back pay in October.

Board member Linda Sutherland said December is too late, especially with holidays approaching. A visibly annoyed Smith said his staff was working as fast as it could to correct the problems.

"I'm not going to sit here, Mrs. Sutherland, and make promises [that back pay can be awarded before December.] . . . I don't want the board to think we're sitting on our hands."

Flagg said she was patient about the problems and willing to give the district the benefit of the doubt. What really bothers her, she said, is that "through this entire situation not a single person has said, 'I'm sorry.' "

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), October 07, 1999.


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