Hi all,

I haven't been around much as I landed a terrific part time job, the only problem is with my pay.
At the Agency interview I was told the pay rate, I wrote it down and remembered it clearly as it was a tad more than I wanted. I get my pay slip and the hourly rate is nearly $2 less. I emailed agency today and I have a reply saying that the rate is correct and they don't know how a misunderstanding occurred.
Now as it turns out (to my delight) that they want me to manage the entire operation. I applied for a 2 day per week Laboratory Technician and the first pay rate would be about right.
Now the agancy did say they (my boss) were happy for me to take over the day to day running of the lab with a view to the position gradually going full time. This is great but in actual fact it is an enormous jump in responsibility from just technician. I won't be taking over an operation already in motion. I have to get the lab up and ready to be properly operational. There is so much observation, research and experimentation as well as the rosters, buying new equipment, training. I will be the liason b/ween the lab and the buyers, go to trade shows, etc etc etc etc.
So even if they were paying the agreed rate at the start, I would have renegotiated my pay about now anyway.

SO the agency actually employs me, my boss pays the agency etc etc. Now I happen to know that the agency is charging my boss $13 per HOUR more than what they are paying me. Can you tell me what the going % is for this service?

What I am being paid is just under the rate for a casual retail assistant, and that's bollocks.

The other thing is - I can't find the Award Rate for a Tissue Culture Technician. I have already rung WageLine and they couldn't find it either. It depends on the classification - Science or Agriculture for eg. Bugger it. What I did find however is that a Lab Manager is considered "Specialist Manager" and the hourly rate is almost $15 MORE than what I am currently being paid.

Oh dear - how long is this post! CAn anyone help me with this? Oh yeah - the Agency lady had absolutley NO IDEA what this job was or what it entails so I have no idea how she managed to decide what my hourly rate was.

Thanks in advance xoxoxoxoxo