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Courts / Sydney, NSW

Bungled Sydney Water payroll rollout leaves workers underpaid

ABC News
1 min read Rewritten in plain language

UnionsIndustrial RelationsWater Supply

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  • A new payroll system carried out by Sydney Water in July has regularly paid workers below their benefit programs and often late, according to unions.
  • Sydney Water is facing stop-works from more than half its workers after multiple unions moved to take industrial action over a new payroll system rollout that has left hundreds of workers owed thousands.
  • Members from the Australian Services Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Professionals Australia moved to take actions such as work bans and four-hour stoppages on a rolling basis.
  • A spokesperson for Sydney Water said the utility had apologised to workers who had been affected during the rollout.

4 sentences from our version of the report, chosen to cover it. Nothing here is written; every line is in the article below. How

A new payroll system carried out by Sydney Water in July has regularly paid workers below their benefit programs and often late, according to unions.

The report’s most important sentence, shortened and in plain words. How

Headline check

The one thing this headline claims is in the report.

Figures, names and quoted words in the headline, looked for in the report itself — not in the summary above. One claim in this headline could be checked, so this is a narrow pass and not a thorough one. How this is checked

A new payroll system carried out by Sydney Water in July has regularly paid workers below their benefit programs and often late, according to unions.

The Australian Services Union has called for the old system to be carried out and has started industrial action against the water utility.

Sydney Water says it is working to resolve individual cases and is offering trust-based payments for workers facing financial hardship.

Sydney Water is facing stop-works from more than half its workers after multiple unions moved to take industrial action over a new payroll system rollout that has left hundreds of workers owed thousands.

Unions say the new Dayforce system that was rolled out in July has consistently paid workers late or failed to pay penalties and overtime, leading to financial distress among members.

Members from the Australian Services Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Professionals Australia moved to take actions such as work bans and four-hour stoppages on a rolling basis.

ASU secretary Angus McFarland said members knew the Dayforce system was not equipped to factor in the variety of allowances and penalties hundreds of workers depended on.

Mr McFarland said the union was calling for the old payroll system to be re-instated and emergency payments to be made to affected workers.

A spokesperson for Sydney Water said the utility had apologised to workers who had been affected during the rollout.

Shortened to 1 minute of reading, this version reads 6.8 on the Niral Score.

You are reading our version, not theirs. This is ABC News's report shortened to its most important sentences, in plainer words, with verdicts and loaded words taken out. Plain description stays, and so do adjectives that carry a fact, such as "former" or "federal". The reporting, the facts and the quotations are theirs — quotations are never edited — and the indicators beside it measure this version. Hover or tap Adjectives to see every one left in the text.

How this outlet filed it, and how we rewrote it

No other newsroom we read has filed on this event, so there is nothing to compare it with yet.

Outlet Niral ScoreAdjectivesSourcingSentimentHappiness
ABC Newsas they published this story 8.8 6 81 -0.3 49.3
Mundane Readneutralized from ABC News 6.9 5 81 -0.1 49.3

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