Newcastle Port Corporation and
AIMPE Award 2001
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
COMMISSION OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Application by Newcastle
Ports Corporation.
(No. IRC 322 of 2006)
Before The Honourable
Justice Wright, President
|
3 February 2006
|
VARIATION
1. Insert after
paragraph 17.4.3, of clause 17, Bereavement Leave, of the award published 3
December 2004 (347 I.G. 598), the following new paragraph:
17.4.4 Bereavement
entitlement for casual employees
(a) Subject to the
evidentiary requirements in clause 17.4.3, a casual Employee is entitled to not
be available to attend work, or to leave work, upon the death in Australia of a
person prescribed in clause 17.2.2.
(b) The Employer
and the Employee shall agree on the period for which the Employee will be
entitled to not be available to attend work.
In the absence of agreement, the Employee is entitled to not be
available to attend work for up to 48 hours (i.e two days) per occasion. The casual Employee is not entitled to any payment
for the period of non-attendance.
(c) The Employer
must not fail to re-engage a casual employee because the Employee accessed the
entitlements provided for in this clause.
The rights of the Employer to engage or not engage a casual Employee are
otherwise not affected.
2. Insert after
paragraph 17.5.2, of the said clause 17, the following new paragraph:
17.5.3 Personal Carer's
Entitlement for Casual Employees
(a) Subject to the
evidentiary and notice requirements in 17.5.1 (d), a casual Employee is
entitled to not be available to attend work, or to leave work if they need to
care for a person prescribed in clause 17.5.1(c)(2) who are sick and require
care and support, or who require care due to an unexpected emergency, or the
birth of a child.
(b) The Employer
and the Employee shall agree on the period for which the Employee will be
entitled to not be available to attend work.
In the absence of agreement, the Employee is entitled to not be
available to attend work for up to 48 hours (i.e. two days) per occasion. The casual Employee is not entitled to any
payment for the period of non-attendance.
(c) The Employer
must not fail to re-engage a casual employee because the Employee accessed the
entitlements provided for in this clause.
The rights of the Employer to engage or not to engage a casual Employee
are otherwise not affected.
3. Insert after
subclause 18.1, of clause 18, Parental Leave, the following new subclause:
18.2 The following
provisions shall also apply in addition to those set out in the Industrial
Relations Act 1996 (NSW) (Act):
(a) The Employer
must not fail to re-engage a regular casual Employee (see section 53(2) of the
Act) because:
(i) the Employee
or Employee's spouse is pregnant; or
(ii) the Employee
is or has been immediately absent on parental leave.
The rights of the Employer in relation to engagement
and re-engagement of a casual Employee are not affected, other than in
accordance with this clause.
(b) Right to
request:
(i) An Employee
entitled to parental leave may request the Employer to allow the Employee:
(A) to extend the
period of simultaneous unpaid parental leave use up to a maximum of eight
weeks;
(B) to extend the
period of unpaid parental leave for a further continuous period of leave not exceeding
12 months;
(C) to return from
a period of parental leave on a part-time basis until the child reaches school
age;
to assist the Employee in reconciling work and parental
responsibilities.
(ii) The Employer
shall consider the request having regard to the Employee’s circumstances and,
provided the request is genuinely based on the Employee’s parental
responsibilities, may only refuse the request on reasonable grounds related to
the effect on the workplace or the Employer’s business. Such grounds might
include cost, lack of adequate replacement staff, loss of efficiency and the
impact on customer service.
(iii) Employee’s
request and the Employer’s decision to be in writing
The Employee’s request and the Employer’s decision made
under 18.2(b)(i)(B) and 18.2(b)(i)(C) must be recorded in writing.
(iv) Request to
return to work part-time
Where an Employee wishes to make a request under
18.2(b)(i)(C), such a request must be made as soon as possible but no less than
seven weeks prior to the date upon which the Employee is due to return to work
from parental leave.
(c) Communication
during parental leave
(i) Where an
Employee is on parental leave and a definite decision has been made to
introduce significant change at the workplace, the Employer shall take
reasonable steps to:
(A) make
information available in relation to any significant effect the change will
have on the status or responsibility level of the position the Employee held
before commencing parental leave; and
(B) provide an
opportunity for the Employee to discuss any significant effect the change will
have on the status or responsibility level of the position the Employee held
before commencing parental leave.
(ii) The Employee
shall take reasonable steps to inform the Employer about any significant matter
that will affect the Employee’s decision regarding the duration of parental
leave to be taken, whether the employee intends to return to work and whether
the Employee intends to request to return to work on a part-time basis.
(iii) The Employee
shall also notify the Employer of changes of address or other contact details
which might affect the Employer’s capacity to comply with paragraph (i).
4. This
variation shall take effect from 19 December 2005.
F.
L. WRIGHT J
, President
____________________
Printed by
the authority of the Industrial Registrar.