Australia Post sacks a young man, 22, by text – because a BUSHFIRE stopped him from making it in to his first day of work
- Joel Williams was completing unpaid training as an Australia Post contractor
- He didn’t show up on his first day of paid work because of the bush fires
- Australia Post claims he was never formally offered an employment opportunity
- Texts between him and the contractor state he was supposed to start paid work
Joel Williams wanted the short term job to help fund his upcoming wedding (pictured with his fiance)
A man who was evacuated from his home says he was fired from his job as a contractor with Australia Post because he couldn’t work during the bushfires.
Joel Williams, 22, told Daily Mail Australia he was employed to deliver parcels in the Wallabi Point and Old Bar region of the mid north coast in New South Wales in the fortnight before the fires.
His mother Meegan said she made the decision to evacuate her entire family on Friday night after receiving a text warning people to leave.
The decision, she said, cost her son his job.
Australia Post claim Mr Williams had only been given a verbal offer of employment and hadn’t signed a contract with the company.
However, texts from Mr Williams’ mother from his boss clearly show the company thought he was about to start paid work.
Roads in and out of Wallabi Point and Old Bar were sporadically closed across the weekend as fires continued to break out (pictured) and trees fell
Meegan Williams (left) and her children after she received life changing treatment for her multiple sclerosis
A statement from Australia Post claims the company ‘have been waiting for Joel to get back to them,’ after they asked him to give them a call if he was interested in the position.
‘He spent one day shadowing a contractor on her delivery round. As he didn’t have any personal safety gear, he was restricted to watching the team work.
‘We asked him to call us the following day if he was interested in joining the team. We haven’t heard back.’
But the contractor had messaged Mr Williams’ mother saying he was ‘due to start this week on his own’.
‘He could’ve started with pay this week, but I can’t pay for someone sitting beside me,’ the text read.
Texts from Joel’s employer (in grey) sent to his mother (green) after he failed to show up for his first paid shift
Meegan said the contractor didn’t believe that they had actually evacuated because they didn’t leave Wallabi Point until Monday.
But she argues she wanted to leave on Friday when evacuation notices were first sent out, but she couldn’t get her brood ready in time and roads were closed by the time she got out of the house.
‘It was like a war zone,’ she said.
Having multiple sclerosis and one child with type one diabetes, she knew her family wasn’t safe if they stayed, but had no choice.
Mr Meegan (left) had been training for two weeks – unpaid – to secure employment to help save for his wedding next year, his family claims
Three days later at the first opportunity she got, she decided to leave and head toward a home a friend had offered her on the Central Coast.
But with the local Optus reception tower being affected in the fires and with no other way to contact his new employer, Joel missed his Monday shift with the contractor and wasn’t able to let her know.
Mrs Williams said her son had plans to go to the army in March and that the hiring manager knew that when she gave him the job.
‘The opportunity came up and I told him to go for it, it was a good opportunity to make some money before his wedding in February,’ she said.
The family are now considering taking the dismissal to fair trading, and are disappointed this happened during such tragic circumstances.