Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:42:26 GMT
From: Peter ODonoghue <pjodsec@iaccess.com.au>
To - All delegates

Re - RESTRICTION DUTY ALLOWANCES (CLOSE CALL and ON CALL)

>From - Sandy Ross, Division Assistant Secretary

Date - 10 May 1996

The latest Enterprise Agreement provides for negotiations on the
allowances for on call and close call duty.  This arose from concerns
amongst members who receive the allowances in the Division of Applied
Physics (Sydney), and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL,
Geelong) that it had been 12 years since the allowances were changed.  In
addition, CSIRO have pointed out, and the unions have acknowledged, that
there have been significant technological changes in the last twelve years
- eg with pagers and mobile phones - which affect the nature of this duty. 

Subsequently, AMWU members in Geelong have placed work bans on close call
and on call duty in pursuit of a claim for increases to the allowances. 
The first formal discussions with CSIRO about the allowances are scheduled
to take place on 14 May in Melbourne. 

Our members on close call and on call duty have not expressed as much
urgency with this issue as the AMWU members, but I expect they would
welcome an increase in their allowance. 

Could you canvass amongst members who receive these allowances as to their
views, and feed back anything relevant? 

To give you an idea of the parameters, the current allowances are:

On Call - (Available to return to work out of hours if needed)
$5.55 per night on call
13.92 on call for a day and night 
+ an additional loading may be paid if required to perform intermittent duties

Close Call (requiring an officer to be within 30 minutes of workplace, and
prepared to return immediately):

$11.10 per night
$27.84 when on close call for a day and a night.

(refer T&C para 51).

The AMWU claim collapses on call and close call together, reflecting the
circumstances at AAHL where all of the employees have been required to
live within 30 minutes of the lab anyway. In my view, it would not be
appropriate for our members who are in a wider variety of situations, to
agree with this. 

Also, the claim would change the allowance from a flat rate to a
percentage of salary.  Amongst other things, this would effectively index
the allowance to salary movements, which is desirable. 

The effect of the rates proposed is an increase, the size of which varies,
depending whether it is compared with close call or on call. 

The AMWU claim proposes rates to apply on the basis of 7.5% of the
officer's hourly rate for each restricted hour Monday to Friday, 10% for
Saturdays and Sundays, and 15% for holidays and RDOs. 

On this basis, If a CSOF 3.1 officer finished work at 5pm, and was on call
until 9am the following day, (equivalent to a night on call in the current
system), they would receive $18.25.  For a weekend on call they would
receive $72.96. 

Finally, the AMWU propose that the current practice of paying a minimum 3
hours overtime if an officer is actually called out be maintained.  This
is actually provided for under the T&C paragraph relating to overtime
which is not up for discussion anyway, but in my view this condition
should be maintained. 

Contact central office if you want a copy of the AMWU claim, or you or
affected members have any comment on this issue. 

Thanks

Sandy