Mr Lindsay Dean
235 Mr Lindsay Dean is the sole director of Complete Windscreens. He said that he and his brother, Haydn, are responsible for managing the day to day operations of the company. His main duties include answering the telephone and speaking with customers, allocating jobs which have been booked in, and organising "runs" for windscreen fitters. Mr Lindsay Dean said that his mother, Ms Coral Dean, has worked for the company since it was created as an administration or office manager.
236 Mr Lindsay Dean said that for the first month of a new employee's employment, the new employee is quite limited in the type of work which he can perform. For the most part, a new employee observes more experienced employees carry out their work and he performs basic tasks such as cleaning up. New employees may assist with fitting truck windscreens during this time or with other jobs that require two people. Mr Lindsay Dean said that for the first three months at least, new employees are closely supervised by more experienced windscreen fitters. The level of supervision depends upon how quickly the employee picks up particular tasks. Mr Lindsay Dean said that of the employees involved in this proceeding, the only employee who he felt was able to fit a simple windscreen within the first three months of his employment was Mr Nakhoul. At the other end of the spectrum, he considered that Mr Moala needed to be closely supervised for a long time before he could attempt his first job on his own. Even after a considerable period, Mr Moala was only able to do four jobs in a day. Mr Lindsay Dean's expectation was a windscreen fitter with Mr Moala's period of service would be able to complete up to 15 jobs a day. Mr Lindsay Dean said that, as a general rule, employees did not do complex jobs alone at crash repairers within the first two years of their employment. Even then, where possible, he would allocate such jobs to the most experienced windscreen fitters with at least five years' experience.
237 Mr Lindsay Dean said that since the company had been established, his brother, Haydn, had generally been responsible for determining the rates of pay for windscreen fitters. He said that Haydn had told him that there was no apprenticeship or traineeship that could be undertaken to become a windscreen fitter, although the position required a high level of skill and training. Haydn had told him that for the relevant periods, there was no classification in any award that applied to windscreen fitters. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he made no inquiries into award coverage or rates of pay and that he relied on information given to him by his brother. He understood that his brother received information from the appropriate bodies on a regular basis.
238 Complete Windscreens became a member of the MTA (SA) in 2006. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he could not recall receiving any notice or other material in around 2010 when there were changes to the award system. He said that it was not until the FWO investigation in this matter that he heard of the Vehicle Industry (South Australia) Repair Service and Retail Award or the Modern Award.
239 Mr Lindsay Dean said that in 1995 a private consultant retained by the company prepared an induction manual for the company and that it was provided to all new employees who were employed at the company's factory. He said that the company continued to provide the induction manual to all employees, including all new windscreen fitters.
240 Mr Lindsay Dean said that employees are required to fill out a time book each day showing their start and finish times, and the time taken for a one hour break. He said that employees had always been required to do this. He said that the company kept records "through a spreadsheet and the GPS system". He completed the spreadsheet on a daily basis on the company's computer system and recorded the employees' start and finish times based on his own observations. He said that it was very rare for employees to work past 5 pm, however, it did happen occasionally. He said that employees were paid overtime for all work after 5 pm and for any work they performed on a Saturday. He said that it was very rare for an employee to leave before 5 pm and that this happened only if the business was quiet and the employee asked to leave early. He said that during quieter periods, employees often came back to the company's workshop before 5 pm and that the company was happy for them to stay there, even though there may have been no work for them to do. Mr Lindsay Dean said that most windscreen fitters had a work utility vehicle that they could take home each night after work. He said that the company paid for all fuel and had an account with a Caltex service station near the company's premises.
241 Mr Lindsay Dean said that the company installed GPS devices in all utes progressively between February 2010 and November 2012. It did this in order to keep better track of employees because it had found that a number of employees went missing during the day. In addition, the GPS allowed the company to improve its procedures for allocating jobs because it knew the exact whereabouts of an employee. The GPS device meant that the location of a vehicle could be monitored by the use of a computer at the company's office. Mr Peter Bruce is employed by the company to take calls from clients and to book jobs. The company receives up to 400 telephone calls a day and, therefore, both Mr Bruce and Mr Lindsay Dean spend a considerable amount of time on the telephone and organising jobs. Mr Bruce also monitors the GPS, but only when there is a need for him to do so. For example, a customer might call the office and ask where an employee is if the employee is running late. Mr Bruce is able to check the system to determine the employee's exact location. Mr Lindsay Dean produced the available GPS records for the vehicles operated by the employees who are the subject of this proceeding, except for Mr Mathews (who was not provided with a vehicle), from 2010 onwards. The GPS records produced by Mr Lindsay Dean are stored on the company's computer system and have been extracted from that system.
242 Mr Lindsay Dean said that up until around 2012, employees were entitled to take a main 30 minute meal break each day as well as an additional 30 minutes' worth of breaks each day. It was on this basis that the company calculated an employee's working hours by allowing for one hour's worth of breaks each day. Mr Lindsay Dean said that often employees took three 10 minute breaks in addition to their main 30 minute break. He said that this system had been in place since the company commenced operations in the 1970s. Employees were on the road for long periods of time and the company trusted them to take adequate breaks but not to abuse the privilege. On quieter days, employees had more freedom to take breaks. Mr Lindsay Dean said that from 2012 onwards, employees elected to take only the one 30 minute meal break each day and not take the additional 30 minutes' worth of breaks. This means that employees are now paid for a 42.5 hour working week. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he has always told new employees during the induction process that they must take a 30 minute meal break each day and that this break must be taken within five hours of the commencement of their employment on that day, that is to say, before 1 pm. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he could not recall how he became aware of these requirements, but he said that it had been a long term practice of the company to provide these instructions. Mr Lindsay Dean said that it was explained to all windscreen fitters that it was their responsibility to take breaks because they generally do so when they are on the road away from the workshop. This is contained in the employees' induction manual which is given to all new employees. Mr Lindsay Dean said that all employees will always have sufficient time to take a break before 1 pm. He is responsible for allocating jobs each morning. However, he has never given an employee so many jobs that they were prevented from taking a 30 minute break within the first five hours of them commencing employment on that day.
243 Mr Lindsay Dean said that all of the company's jobs are recorded in a book he calls the company's day book and he produced extracts of the day book. Mr Lindsay Dean said that once employees complete the jobs that they have been allocated in the morning, they return to the office for further jobs or they call the office and are given further jobs. Mr Lindsay Dean said that it was common practice for employees not to return to the company's office or telephone him for further jobs until lunch time and that, as a result, employees had ample time to complete their jobs and take a meal break as directed before requesting further jobs. He said that on average he allocated a total of three to four jobs to each windscreen fitter in one day, or up to 6 to 10 jobs during busier times. He said that there was no strict time frame within which the jobs were to be completed and that employees were able to work at their own pace. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he has been advised by windscreen fitter employees that they would move on to their next job "when they finished their break". Mr Lindsay Dean said that he had never told any employee that he could not have a meal break. Occasionally he asked employees if they had taken their meal break yet when they telephoned him or attended the office for further jobs. He never told any employees that they were required to eat while driving to, or travelling between jobs, instead of stopping for a meal break. Mr Lindsay Dean said that the only time he or his brother, Haydn, or Mr Bruce called an employee's mobile phone was when there was a problem. That could occur when a customer telephoned the office advising that the fitter had not arrived. Mr Lindsay Dean said that he never called any employee for the purpose of telling them that they could not have a meal break or to finish their break early.
244 Mr Lindsay Dean said that during quieter periods, windscreen fitters often came back to the workshop to sit around and talk, or watch TV or read a magazine. The company was happy for them to do this provided there was nothing else to do, such as cleaning their vehicles. With regard to the employees who were based at the workshop, including tinters, Mr Lindsay Dean said that these employees have always been required to take a 30 minute meal break as well as an additional 30 minutes to allow them to attend to personal matters before the system was changed recently. Mr Lindsay Dean observed the employees taking these breaks. He referred to the fact that a mobile food truck regularly visits the company's premises and that they have barbeques on site. Until 2012, employees did not record the time taken for their meal break in their time books, rather they only recorded their start and finish times. The company has since enforced the practice of recording the time taken for a meal break, in addition to start and finish times. Mr Lindsay Dean said that when Mr Mathews worked for the company as a tinter, he often took meal breaks with the other tinter who was employed at that time, Mr Mathew Pearce. They would go to the Northpark Shopping Centre for their breaks, or across the road to Hungry Jacks. Winter is a quiet time for window tinters and Mr Lindsay Dean often observed Mr Mathews taking breaks in excess of one hour each day during these periods.
245 Ms Coral Dean was responsible for administering the payroll functions within the company until about December 2007. At that time, Ms Coral Dean, on behalf of Complete Windscreens, engaged a company known as CA & A Payroll Services which is operated by Mr Greg Cates. That was done in order to ease the workload within the company and, in particular, the workload of Ms Coral Dean who was approximately 75 years old at that time. Mr Lindsay Dean said that "between our membership of the MTA, the management of payroll of Greg Cates (including the provision of pay slips) and the fact that the company paid experienced windscreen fitters at a rate consistent with the market (based on what the employees told us they were offered/paid elsewhere), that there would be no risk of any underpayment".
246 Mr Lindsay Dean said that the company had an arrangement with Mr Flynn. Mr Flynn has a child with special needs and therefore he needed to spend a number of hours each week away from work attending to the needs of his child. He also received payments from Centrelink to assist him. Because Mr Lindsay Dean and his brother, Haydn, were aware that Mr Flynn would spend a significant number of hours each week attending to the needs of his child, the company came to an arrangement with Mr Flynn whereby he would be paid no more than $500 per week for his own flexibility and personal reasons. The amount paid to Mr Flynn each week would depend on the actual hours worked by him.
247 Mr Lindsay Dean was cross-examined about the April 2007 document. It seems that Mr Haydn Dean drafted that document. Mr Lindsay Dean seemed to accept that the document was inaccurate in stating Mr Flynn was paid $20 per hour. Mr Lindsay Dean said that at the time of Mr Flynn's employment in 2000, Mr Flynn said that he did not want to earn more than $500 per week because if he did so, it might affect his "Centrelink medical needs for his son" or "medical treatment or whatever for his son". The company's payroll records show that when Mr Flynn worked 40 hours in a week, he was paid at the rate of $12.50 per hour. When he worked less than 40 hours per week he was paid an amount which reflected a rate of $12.50 per hour.
248 Mr Lindsay Dean said the following in cross-examination:
Can I suggest to you that the purpose of creating the letter and seeking to cover yourself was to create a fiction in this letter that didn't actually reflect the reality; correct?---No. It did reflect the reality of what he got, that he insisted on.
You maintain that, do you, even though he was only - you've seen his payroll register, which shows he's only paid $12.50 per hour. You've told the court he was paid $12.50 per hour. Your defence in these proceedings says he was paid $12.50 per hour?---That's right.
But you maintain, do you, that stating in this letter he was paid $20 per hour is correct?---Because this was a letter, as I said, that my brother and he had worked out, that would not only satisfy him, but cover us because of his wishes, that we went along with, of paying him $12.50 an hour.
You also said, in answer to that same question, that the purpose of creating this letter was to cover Bryan, as well. How do you say this letter would cover Bryan?---Inasmuch as that's all he wanted. He then probably had issues with a Centrelink payment or whatever he was doing, which we had no knowledge of, but he told us he had medical or - you know, he had to keep under a certain thing. It was, you know, to protect him as well, but ---
Sorry, protect him from what?---I - the agreement that he wanted us to stick to, paying him $12.50 an hour and no more.
How was that going to - how was producing this letter, which didn't reflect the reality, going to protect him, do you say?---Inasmuch as he was claiming benefits for his child through medicine, cheap medicine, medical attention, Brian Flynn's business. And if that impacted on what he had been doing - some other thing - this reflected - this was helping us and Brian to cover what he wanted.
One part of the letter that is true was he was making five - he was earning $500 per week before tax; correct?---Yes.
That's the only element of the letter, the amount he was being paid, which might have affected Centrelink payments; correct?---Sorry, that $500 might have affect Centrelink payment.
Yes. You're saying this letter - that one of the purposes of this letter was to help Brian and to cover him. If I'm understanding your evidence correctly, it's because, you're saying, he was only able to earn up to a maximum amount. Otherwise, it might have affected other payments he was receiving. That part of the letter actually reflects reality. If it's the case that he was being paid $500 per week, in reality, why did he need this letter to cover him?---You know, he had a ute to go home with, petrol, etcetera. Why did he ask us to only pay him $12.50, up to 500? So he could then say - go on to Centrelink or whatever he wanted - and get for his - medicine for his kid. I don't know. It was his business.
Sorry, Mr Dean, I'm not still understanding how this could cover him, because if what you're saying - are you saying that it's the - what's in here about his - the arrangements he had with the company, outside of the wage, that was going to protect him?---No. He was - he was saying to someone in Centrelink or Medicare - I'm not sure - that because of earning X, keeping it down to 500, he could then claim benefits. So ---
And, in reality, he was making $500 per week?---That's right - exactly right.
He didn't need a letter to reflect that. That's actually what was happening?---Yes, well - yes. But we needed one to cover us, as well.
Sure, yes. That's your evidence, that this was to cover you. I ---
This evidence of Mr Lindsay Dean is difficult to follow.
249 Mr Lindsay Dean denied that the appropriate classification for Mr Flynn was Level 3 even though EMA Consulting, acting on behalf of the company, offered him an employment contract in 2012 at "Level 3 R3" under the Modern Award.
250 Mr Lindsay Dean admitted making an incorrect statement in his affidavit when he said that it was common for new or inexperienced employees to perform simple tasks for the company such as collecting or dropping off items for the company when in fact it was not common.
251 I thought Mr Lindsay Dean down-played his role in the company and over-emphasised his brother Haydn's role. In his affidavit, he described his position in terms of telephone sales. He was, in many respects, the driving force of the business. On 20 October 2011, the company's representative had written to the FWO in the following terms:
I have spoken to Lindsay Dean and he has confirmed that he is the sole Director of the Company. Coral Dean and Hadyn Dean, whilst family members, are not Directors but employees of the Company. They have no Directorial or Executive control or decision-making powers.
This document was marked for identification and I said that I would indicate my ruling on its admissibility in my final reasons. It is admissible either as a business record (s 69 of the Evidence Act) or as an admission.
252 I was not impressed with Mr Lindsay Dean's evidence about the company's practice as to the provision of pay slips to employees. In an affidavit he swore on 21 May 2014, Mr Lindsay Dean said the company developed a practice of providing pay slips only when asked, after a period when most employees left their pay slips behind. In evidence before me, he said that pay slips were always provided to employees He was cross-examined about the difference between these two statements as follows:
And then, finally:
The first respondent adopted a practice of generating the payslips, but only giving them to the employees when asked.
Do you accept that?---Yes. I - the payslips were always there, you know, and they were always - not generated just because - when they wanted them. It was - that's - yes ..... wordsmithing a bit. But if they asked for them, they were always there. They were always there with their pays. I mean ---
Well, that's not what - - -?---Payslips were left behind, yes, some, by the sound of that. Yes. But, yes, payslips were always - - -
And so the way - so - - -?---Payslips were always generated for them.
The way I understand this paragraph, though, is that what you are suggesting is that the employees stopped receiving the payslips; is that correct?---No. I - no. I didn't mean - didn't mean that, if that's how it has come out to you - didn't mean that at all.
Well, you see, at first you're saying that they were provided with their payslips?---Mmm.
And then it says, invariably, they only took their pay and left the payslips behind. And then what seems to follow is a conclusion that a new practice developed of generating payslips, but only giving them to employees when asked?---Yes.
Isn't that what the - you're trying to convey with this paragraph?---No. The payslips were always provided. And if that's how that has come across, that's wrong. But I - payslips were always provided. Sometimes they would leave them behind, but they were always there if they asked for them. I mean - - -
And you had firsthand knowledge of all these things, didn't you?---No. I - no. Like I say, I wasn't in that room - didn't generate them. But this is - this is one of the affidavits in - over the many years of playing tennis with FWO that has been generated that - yes. But that's - payslips were always provided.
Well, what do you mean when you say in this paragraph:
The first respondent then adopted the practice of generating the payslips and giving them to employees when asked.
Doesn't that suggest that there was a new practice that developed?---No. I would say what's happened, that the solicitor here - who's this - Oliver Oakes - has probably put his wording there. It - to me, yes, payslips were always provided. Sometimes they left them there. They were always there if they asked for them.
So this is another case, is it, of the affidavit being incorrect?---It's - yes, I think you're - you're reading things in there that perhaps mightn't be there. But what I meant was, they were always provided. If they did leave them there, you know, they - they could always be - - -
253 I formed the view that Mr Lindsay Dean tailored parts of his evidence to suit his case and the case of the company. I prefer the evidence of the employees as to the time at which they were on the road doing jobs by themselves. As I will explain when I come to deal with Mr Haydn Dean, I do not accept that the employees were given a copy of the induction manual. Nor do I accept that he explained to all new employees that they had a 30 minute meal break and other breaks totalling 30 minutes which it was their responsibility to take. Furthermore, as I will explain, I think that there were occasions when Mr Lindsay Dean pressed the employees to proceed to the next job and not delay by having lunch. I think that there would have been occasions when he told them to eat on the way to the next job. I also reject his evidence insofar as it may be taken to suggest that the employees had other structured breaks totalling 30 minutes.