This update is to outline your Executive's position with respect to the communique distributed recently by the CE regarding TA payments.

In short what was is available again, but better (sans OT payments – see below). You will be given a home station and you will be paid for excess travel and sometimes travel time for normal rostered shifts away from your home station. This time will count towards your fatigue tracking, ie it’s included in your work hours.

Travel to Branch Stations when working normal hours will again attract TA payments (if no fixed term contract exists).

But now to the sticking point...

Our major concern was about the non-payment of TA for Overtime Shifts away from your home station, and Mr Acker has stated:

"We hold that the acceptance of additional shifts offered at a station other than an employee’s own is at their sole discretion and, as such, they need to assume the responsibility associated with the acceptance of the shift including turning up on time, under their own speed."

This is the exact scenario we were trying to avoid. That each Overtime shift away from your home station becomes a negotiation about TA and/or shift length etc. If you choose not to travel in your own time, say so firmly, because as the CE states, it’s at your discretion.

You can choose to work or not and choose what extra hours you agree to work - it’s called Offer and Acceptance. If you don’t accept the offer, say no, and feel free to offer an alternate option. Sometimes that may mean not working the whole shift, because travelling vast distances and working long hours is a safety risk, especially for shift workers.

Remember travel in work time is covered by workers compensation, travel in your own time is not, this should be an important consideration for long commutes to remote locations and of serious concern to us is that any travel time associated with OT will not be counted as time worked for the purposes of measuring staff safety and fatigue.

Your Exec will consider this update and respond in due course; but remember to make all your previous unpaid claims as there will be back pay.

If you’d like to discuss this, please contact HACSUassist at assist@hacsu.org.au or call 1300 880 032.