Documents Workplace Relations 10.14379.pdf - Chief Minister's ...

3. Do staff in other parliaments in Australia receive such a bonus.
It is understood this question refers to the payment of the LAMS allowance.
There are a variety of arrangements in other jurisdictions that compensate parliamentary
staff for additional hours worked. These include, either singly or in combination, paid
overtime, time off in lieu and an allowance.
In the Commonwealth, for example, parliamentary staff receive an allowance as
compensation for reasonable additional hours of work, over and above their ordinary hours
of 3 7.5 hours per week. The Connnonwealth parliamentary staff allowance ranges from
$16,400 per annum for lower level staff to $27,500 per ammm for senior staff. The
allowance increases in line with salary increases, which will include a 3% increase from
April 2011. Staff who, for personal or family reasons do not frequently work additional
hours, may elect to accrue TOIL instead of receiving the allowance.
In relation to LAMS, the 7% LAMS allowance equates to around $3,500 - $4,300 per
ammm for an Adviser level 1 and around $6,200 - $8,000 per annum for a Senior Adviser.
While this is well below the Commonwealth parliamentary staff allowance it is in addition
to the accrual of TOIL. The allowance is to compensate staff for the first two hours of
overtime over and above their ordinary hours of36.75 hours per week. While LAMS staff
currently are not required to work a minimum of38.75 hours a week to receive the
allowance, they do not start to accrue TOIL until they have worked 38.75 hours in a week.
Extension of LAMS Allowance to Annual Leave
As indicated at 2. above there are other ACTPS allowances that are currently paid during
periods of paid leave, including annual leave.
The initial staff claim was for the current 7% LAMS allowance to be paid on all forms of
paid leave.
What is suggested for consideration is reducing the rate of the LAMS allowance to 6.5%
and, in exchange, paying the allowance on periods of paid annual leave alone. In this way,
only where staff use their full annual entitlement to four weeks annual leave during the year
they will receive the equivalent ammmt. Where staff use less than four weeks annual leave
during the year they will receive less than the equivalent amount under cunent LAMS
allowance, resulting in a saving.
Recommendation
That you:
• note the response to the questions you raised with regard to the brief of 28 January 2011.
• indicate your preference to either:
or
NOTED/PLEASE DISCUSS
(a) maintain the existing negotiating position of TOIL capped at under 100 hours;
the introduction of ACTPS equivalent annual leave management plans; and
no termination payment for staff whose Member does not seek re-election.
AGREED/NOT AGREED/PLEASE DISCUSS