On the 24th October the year 10 law talk students attended their last session with their talk law mentors at the law firm King & Wood Mallesons in Melbourne’s CBD.
Today’s sessions focused on young people and work.
Getting a job is an important milestone for young people, as it not only allows them to develop a sense of responsibility, but it can also teach them valuable skills for later in life. 32% of 15-19 year-olds in full-time study have some sort of employment either full-time, part-time or casual. However, as young people are often inexperienced and lack knowledge about their rights at work, they can be a target for exploitation by employers. This is particularly in relation to pay, work hours and unfair dismissals. The purpose of this session is to provide young people with information about their basic rights at work and how they can be enforced in various situations, such as when a young person is underpaid or unfairly dismissed.
The main purpose of the session was to increase our students’ understanding of employment law to prevent legal issues from arising, to increase their ability to identify legal issues early, and know where to find help if they need it.
The session ended with the students preparing for and participating in a mock trial that dealt with a case in which an underpayment of wages arose, and what options the employer had to rectify this situation.
