[LINK] RIP Printed Evidence of Payments

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
Thu Oct 31 15:09:03 AEDT 2013


[The story below is about the disappearance of printed payslips.

[The denial of hard-copy documents means that the public has got 
Buckley's chance of:
(a)  having access to documents that evidence what they've been paid
      and what they've been charged
(b)  complying with obligations to keep documents for 5-7 years

[Some of the reasons are 'the individual's fault', e.g.
-   inability to design and manage a set of electronic directories,
     including filename conventions, in which to file documents
-   inability to discipline themselves to fetch documents
-   inability to discipline themselves to file documents,
     using the appropriate filename and in the right place
-   inability to design controls (e.g. document counts, value totals)
-   inability to discipline themselves to apply the controls

[Some of the reasons are the incompetence and venality of their 
suppliers, who have no intention of creating a workable environment 
even for SMEs, let alone for members of the public, e.g.
-   the failure to design workable backup and recovery arrangements into
     the systems sold to individuals and SMEs
-   closed-down consumer appliances such as smartphones and tablets
-   the unreliability and short half-lives of cloud services
-   the lack of credibility of such few intermediaries as have emerged,
     such as Australia Post and Digital Post services ]


Health union loses legal fight to keep paper payslips
Paris Cowan
itNews
Oct 31, 2013 12:02 PM (2 hours ago)
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/362540,health-union-loses-legal-fight-to-keep-paper-payslips.aspx

Not everyone is ready for the electronic age.

The Health Services Union (HSU) has failed in its efforts to get 
hard-copy payslips reinstated for staff working in the Sydney Local 
Health District (SLHD).

The state health system's new payroll and HR solution, Stafflink, 
went live across SLHD hospitals in Camperdown, Balmain, Canterbury 
and Concord in April this year, giving the district the capability to 
email electronic payslips to staff.

As of 1 January 2014 the SLHD plans to phase out paper payslips 
altogether, but not all employees are happy about the modernisation.

On Monday the Industrial Relations Commission heard complaints from 
the HSU on behalf of a number of workers who say they are not 
confident receiving payslips electronically due to lack of computer 
literacy.

The HSU said it is concerned that its members will no longer be able 
to scutinise their pay and benefits as a result.

"This lack of information concerning their pay will result in many 
health workers not knowing if they have been paid correctly," said a 
spokesman for the union.

The Industrial Relations Act obliges employers to provide their staff 
with "written particulars" outlining the details of their 
remuneration - but does not specify the delivery format.

The HSU argued the legislation implies a paper-based approach, but 
neither the IRC nor the SLHD agreed, claiming an email adequately 
satisfied the requirements of the law.

Justice Conrad Staff rejected the HSU's request but ordered the SLHD 
to offer computer training to up to 400 affected staff so they can 
better adjust to the new process.

"We're disappointed with this decision, as this will inevitably 
result in many health workers not receiving information about their 
pay in a way they understand," a HSU spokesman told iTnews.

"We don't have confidence that the process established is going to 
provide a lasting resolution."

The SLHD said it is more than happy to offer the training to those 
who want it, and said it had taken every step possible to smooth the 
transition for its employees.

"All staff have been provided with instructions and training on how 
to use the new system... These instructions included a step-by-step 
process to assist staff who may have difficulty in operating 
computers. Further, when required, senior staff have assisted those 
employees who have sought guidance in accessing their e-payslips," a 
spokesperson said.

"The Industrial Relations Commission has recently requested the HSU 
refer the names of its members who it alleges may require further 
training. The District looks forward to receiving this information so 
it can provide training as soon as possible."

The new payroll system will replace the legacy Supero solution and 
offers staff online access to self-service HR capabilities.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 2 6288 6916                        http://about.me/roger.clarke
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University



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