Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
6<br />
Industrial Relations<br />
<strong>Are</strong> <strong>you</strong><br />
<strong>Leave</strong><br />
<strong>Loaded</strong>?<br />
<strong>Police</strong> receive an annual leave<br />
loading in February every<br />
year, but surprisingly, few<br />
know why or how it is calculated.<br />
<strong>Leave</strong> loading is an important<br />
condition of employment and while<br />
police don’t receive their leave<br />
loading in the traditional manner<br />
(when they take their holidays), it is<br />
nonetheless an important feature of<br />
their remuneration that should be<br />
understood.<br />
Recreational leave loading is a<br />
standard employment benefit for<br />
employees throughout Australia<br />
and is usually paid as 17.5 percent<br />
of an employee’s annual leave pay.<br />
<strong>The</strong> basis upon which loadings<br />
are calculated varies from industry<br />
to industry.<br />
<strong>Leave</strong> loadings were abolished in<br />
1992 after the Kennett Government<br />
introduced the Annual <strong>Leave</strong> Loading<br />
Act 1992. <strong>Victoria</strong>ns did not see<br />
leave loadings until they were<br />
reintroduced for public servants in<br />
1997.<br />
Following this move, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> successfully negotiated<br />
Rank<br />
<strong>Leave</strong><br />
Loading<br />
2007<br />
OFFICERS $1,070.63<br />
SUB-OFFICERS<br />
S/SGT 5th INC. $944.13<br />
S/SGT 4th INC. $932.03<br />
S/SGT 3rd INC. $919.92<br />
S/SGT 2nd INC. $907.82<br />
S/SGT 1st INC. $895.72<br />
SGT 6th INC. $871.12<br />
SGT 5th INC. $849.72<br />
SGT 4th INC. $837.13<br />
SGT 3rd INC. $824.54<br />
SGT 2nd INC. $811.96<br />
SGT 1st INC. $799.37<br />
OTHER RANKS<br />
LS/C 2nd INC. $835.42<br />
L/S/C 1st INC. $814.23<br />
S/C 12th INC. $768.62<br />
S/C 11th INC. $750.46<br />
S/C 10th INC. $732.31<br />
S/C 9th INC. $717.38<br />
S/C 8th INC. $702.01<br />
to have the allowance reintroduced<br />
for its members too.<br />
How is a leave loading paid?<br />
Recreational leave loading is paid<br />
to all <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> members<br />
(including PSO and Reservist<br />
members) as an entitlement under<br />
the <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force Certified<br />
Agreement 2001.<br />
Rank<br />
<strong>Leave</strong><br />
Loading<br />
2007<br />
S/C 7th INC. $686.64<br />
S/C 6th INC. $676.44<br />
S/C 5th INC. $663.31<br />
CONST 4th INC. $604.62<br />
CONST 3rd INC. $584.13<br />
CONST 2nd INC. $563.66<br />
CONST 1st INC. $543.19<br />
SENIOR PSO $695.83<br />
SENIOR PSO $682.18<br />
PSO GRADE 1<br />
3rd INC. $604.24<br />
PSO GRADE 1<br />
2nd INC. $578.35<br />
PSO GRADE 1<br />
1st INC. $556.23<br />
PSO 4th INC. $534.84<br />
PSO 3rd INC. $524.34<br />
PSO 2nd INC. $514.06<br />
PSO 1st INC. $500.86<br />
RESERVIST $629.61<br />
RECRUITS $368.18<br />
Please note: <strong>Leave</strong> loading applies to part time members on a pro rata basis<br />
Instead of having leave loading<br />
paid when an individual member<br />
actually takes leave, all police<br />
employees receive their loading at<br />
the same time, in the first pay of<br />
February each year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> payment of leave loading in a<br />
one-off block was introduced in<br />
1990 as a more efficient way for<br />
large organisations, such as the<br />
<strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Force, to pay leave<br />
annually, particularly given that<br />
our members have the flexibility to<br />
take short periods of leave at<br />
different times in a calendar year.<br />
When do I get the leave loading?<br />
Payment is made in the first pay of<br />
February every year. In 2007, this<br />
will occur on the 1st of February.<br />
<strong>The</strong> leave loading amount is based<br />
on a members ‘base rate’ of pay.<br />
This calculation occurs on the 1st of<br />
January each year.<br />
How much should I get paid?<br />
Members should receive 17.5<br />
percent of their base rate of pay for<br />
the first 4 weeks of their<br />
recreational leave.<br />
Members often miscalculate their<br />
February 2007 Journal <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong><br />
www.tpav.org.au
7<br />
leave loading entitlements<br />
assuming that their ordinary rate of<br />
pay is the same as their base rate of<br />
pay. It is not.<br />
A members ordinary pay rate is a<br />
combination of their base pay plus<br />
a compensatory allowance. <strong>The</strong><br />
allowance is 13 percent for ranks<br />
below Senior Sergeant and 16.4<br />
percent for Officers.<br />
<strong>Leave</strong> loading only considers the<br />
‘base’ component of ordinary rates<br />
of pay.<br />
For officers, the leave loading rate<br />
is capped at the salary of Inspector,<br />
Increment 1.<br />
What if I have been absent<br />
without pay on maternity leave<br />
when the calculation is made<br />
on January 1?<br />
Recently the <strong>Association</strong> became<br />
aware of members in some areas of<br />
the Force that were not paid leave<br />
loading because they were absent<br />
on unpaid portions of their<br />
maternity leave on 1 January.<br />
Members on maternity leave still<br />
accrue leave for the first 6 months,<br />
irrespective of whether leave is a<br />
paid or unpaid portion.<br />
In 2006, the <strong>Association</strong><br />
successfully argued that a member’s<br />
unpaid absence (due to maternity<br />
leave) on January 1 does not<br />
negate an entitlement to<br />
recreational leave loading.<br />
While this is the case for<br />
maternity leave, other forms of<br />
leave without pay may affect <strong>you</strong>r<br />
entitlement. To determine if <strong>you</strong>r<br />
leave loading has been affected by<br />
unpaid leave, <strong>you</strong> can ring <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> for individual<br />
advice.<br />
You need to check <strong>you</strong>r pay?<br />
Members should check their pay<br />
slips to make sure they received the<br />
correct leave loading on the 1st of<br />
February.<br />
To make this task easier, we have<br />
calculated <strong>you</strong>r entitlements for <strong>you</strong><br />
(see table opposite).<br />
For general information on<br />
allowances or entitlements<br />
remember to regularly visit the<br />
<strong>Association</strong>s website,<br />
www.tpav.org.au<br />
If <strong>you</strong>’re still unsure, or just want<br />
more information members can<br />
also contact our Industrial Relations<br />
section during business hours for<br />
personal advice.<br />
Discipline/<br />
Legal News<br />
Now that the festive season has<br />
come and gone, and we are<br />
back at it for another year, it<br />
is timely to take stock of where we<br />
may be headed in 2007.<br />
This year, the Government will<br />
resume their intended course of<br />
replacing the <strong>Police</strong> Regulation Act<br />
1958, with a <strong>Victoria</strong> <strong>Police</strong> Act.<br />
Several other Australian policing<br />
jurisdictions have recently been<br />
through this process, where ageing<br />
legislation has been updated.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new Act may well have a<br />
significant impact on the way in<br />
which the policing role is performed<br />
in <strong>Victoria</strong> and <strong>you</strong>r <strong>Police</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> will be vigilant in our<br />
negotiations to ensure that all<br />
current terms and conditions of<br />
employment are preserved.<br />
A review of the internal police<br />
discipline system has been earmarked<br />
for some time, but has been<br />
put on hold until the Act is<br />
changed. It is likely that the review<br />
will be reinstated upon the<br />
finalisation of the legislation, and<br />
the <strong>Association</strong> will participate in<br />
that review.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pre-election promises of the<br />
Government, regarding the creation<br />
of a Professional Registration Board<br />
for police and a <strong>Police</strong> Career<br />
Service Commission will be high on<br />
the <strong>Association</strong>’s agenda. <strong>The</strong>se two<br />
bodies will have a marked impact<br />
on the policing profession.<br />
2007 will see the final report (to<br />
Parliament) of the Special<br />
Investigations Monitor into the<br />
operations of the Office of <strong>Police</strong><br />
Integrity. A watching brief is being<br />
maintained and submissions will be<br />
made to the SIM where appropriate.<br />
All of these issues are of major<br />
importance to all members and will<br />
receive the care and attention they<br />
deserve.<br />
Members are again reminded to<br />
familiarise themselves with the<br />
<strong>Police</strong> Regulation Act 1958, as it will<br />
continue to govern policing in<br />
<strong>Victoria</strong> until it is replaced.<br />
Members should read and be aware<br />
of their entitlements and<br />
obligations under the current Act,<br />
which can be found in the<br />
‘members’ only’ section of the<br />
website – just follow the links via<br />
the Legal/Discipline page.<br />
Any queries on matters relating to<br />
<strong>you</strong>r individual circumstances<br />
should initially be directed to the<br />
Discipline/Legal Section at the<br />
<strong>Association</strong>.<br />
Depending on the nature of <strong>you</strong>r<br />
inquiry, advice on discipline matters<br />
can be obtained directly from the<br />
<strong>Association</strong>, and professional legal<br />
advice may be sought from<br />
preferred solicitors upon referral<br />
from the Discipline/Legal Section.<br />
Initial legal advice on criminal<br />
matters is available to all members<br />
on a preliminary, no cost, basis.<br />
“Guidelines for Members Under<br />
Investigation” can also be found on<br />
the website, and a working<br />
knowledge of those guidelines is a<br />
must for all members.<br />
We wish <strong>you</strong> a prosperous and<br />
happy 2007 and are available for<br />
assistance on urgent matters 24<br />
hours a day, through the<br />
<strong>Association</strong> switch-board.<br />
www.tpav.org.au<br />
February 2007 Journal <strong>The</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Association</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong>