CLASS Locksmiths Compliance Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity & Anti Discrimination Policy

Class Locksmiths has an equal employment opportunity and anti-discrimination policy and supporting procedures in place. These adhere to the Australian Government’s national and state laws.

Our policy and procedures are designed to create and maintain a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, which we believe creates a motivated, happy workplace—one in which we can all be productive and efficient.

Class Locksmiths understands our rights and responsibilities under law. We also ensure our employees understand their rights and responsibilities.

We achieve this through:

• recruitment and selection of staff
• terms, conditions and benefits offered as part of employment
• induction of new staff
• ongoing training and development (including refresher sessions on topics such as anti-discrimination)
• ongoing counselling and coaching (if required)
• providing all managers and staff with a copy of our policy and procedures
• guiding managers and staff on where they can obtain more information, including through links to online information such as that available through the Australian Human Rights Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman.

Our related policy and procedures cover these types of topics:

• age discrimination
• disability discrimination
• race discrimination
• sex discrimination
• workplace bullying
• how to raise an equal employment opportunity or anti-discrimination issue at Class Locksmiths—protocols and steps to follow.

Our procedures are specific and include behaviours we do not, accept at Class Locksmiths. Examples:

1. telling insulting jokes about particular racial groups
2. sending explicit or sexually suggestive emails
3. displaying offensive or pornographic posters or screen savers
4. making derogatory comments or taunts about someone’s race or religion
5. asking intrusive questions about someone’s personal life, including their sex life.

Workplace Relations Policy

At Class Locksmiths we value and treat every single employee as a major asset. Our workplace relations policy is built on the important principles of fairness, total respect, openness, honesty and reward and recognition for quality contribution.

These principles are integral to our day-to-day operations. Hence new staff are trained on these values and existing staff refreshed on their importance throughout each year.

Class Locksmiths complies with all relevant legal, regulatory, and award provisions required by the Australian Government and the ACT Government. This includes strict adherence to Fair Work Act 2009, National Employment Standards, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2010, WHS Accreditation and Compliance, Workers Compensation, and Superannuation Guarantee Charge.

For us, it is the big workplace relations issues that matter most:

• Our qualified SCEC locksmiths are paid well above the required award.
• Our apprentices are paid a weekly allowance of $90 over and above the award.
• We have a system of performance bonuses to ensure employee efforts are rewarded.
• We have formalised annual salary reviews, including 360 degree feedback from management and colleagues focusing on performance (strengths, weaknesses, areas of improvement) and based on a frank, two-way exchange..
• Our formalised annual development reviews provide the basis for structured development and career plans and coaching, with each employee having a tailor-made development plan to assist with their career advancement (including internal training and external training, at company expense).

But it’s not just the ‘big ticket workplace relations that matter to us. It’s the smaller gestures we make too. For example we provide all employees paid leave on their birthday.

Other important components of our workplace relations policy at Class Locksmiths

1. Respect for the rights of employees to make a free and informed choice about whether to join a union and be represented at work (Note: to date no one has opted to join a union and staff have told us one reason is because they are paid so well above the award and have a comfortable and welcoming work environment.)
2. Systematic approach to open communications. Accordingly this includes regular forums and meetings (in groups and one-on-one) on all important workplace matters:
   • safety performance
   • acknowledging outstanding staff accomplishments and meaningful contributions to the business
   • company performance
   • interchange of information between the various department
   • airing and resolution of staff raised issues
   • WHSE issues
   • detailed training on new products and services
   • project planning and review
3. Annual staff functions to celebrate individual and company accomplishments
4. Efforts to maintain a healthy work-home balance for all staff, no matter what their duties.
5. Growing our own team strength through apprenticeships.*

Work Environment

Last but not least our workplace relations policy covers our work environment. We provide a comfortable, safe and well equipped environment. Our up-to-date equipment and technology enable staff to perform their duties at the highest possible level. This includes investing in state-of-the art locksmithing tools, key machines, IT equipment, and business systems. Our workstations adhere to O&HS requirements, our environment is comfortably air conditioned and our vehicles kept at peak condition.

Industrial Relations and Employment

We currently hold the ACT Government Industrial Relations and Employment Certificate #1969 which permits us to tender for Building Work and perform
Building Work (if contracted to do so) on ACT Government controlled sites during the currency of the Certificate.

*Qualified locksmiths, operating at our standard, are in short supply. To ensure team strength and also to ensure the quality of our staff, Class Locksmiths has its own policy of developing through apprenticeships. On average the company has had four apprentices at any one time over the past five years, and we usually take on one or two new apprentices each year.

COMPLIANCE WITH National Construction Code (NCC)

CLASS has ensured compliance with the NCC and its predecessors via:

Policy & Procedures

Our stated and enforced company policy requires the company, its employees, and any subcontractors to comply with all relevant legislation, regulations, award provisions, building code practices and guidelines, and codes of conduct (chart below).

These requirements are incorporated into our work practices in many ways, including through on-going training (internal and external), as part of our procedures and policies manuals and as part of all staff induction. This ensures a comprehensive work-practice approach and consistency throughout the organisation and its work activities and projects.

Self Declaration of Eligibility

We submit a Self Declaration of Eligibility along with any tender for Commonwealth funded building work which states that the Modern Award “Manufacturing and Associated Industries & Occupations Award 2010” applies to our employees.