Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria

6
Industrial Relations
Are you
Leave
Loaded?
Police receive an annual leave
loading in February every
year, but surprisingly, few
know why or how it is calculated.
Leave loading is an important
condition of employment and while
police don’t receive their leave
loading in the traditional manner
(when they take their holidays), it is
nonetheless an important feature of
their remuneration that should be
understood.
Recreational leave loading is a
standard employment benefit for
employees throughout Australia
and is usually paid as 17.5 percent
of an employee’s annual leave pay.
The basis upon which loadings
are calculated varies from industry
to industry.
Leave loadings were abolished in
1992 after the Kennett Government
introduced the Annual Leave Loading
Act 1992. Victorians did not see
leave loadings until they were
reintroduced for public servants in
1997.
Following this move, The Police
Association successfully negotiated
Rank
Leave
Loading
2007
OFFICERS $1,070.63
SUB-OFFICERS
S/SGT 5th INC. $944.13
S/SGT 4th INC. $932.03
S/SGT 3rd INC. $919.92
S/SGT 2nd INC. $907.82
S/SGT 1st INC. $895.72
SGT 6th INC. $871.12
SGT 5th INC. $849.72
SGT 4th INC. $837.13
SGT 3rd INC. $824.54
SGT 2nd INC. $811.96
SGT 1st INC. $799.37
OTHER RANKS
LS/C 2nd INC. $835.42
L/S/C 1st INC. $814.23
S/C 12th INC. $768.62
S/C 11th INC. $750.46
S/C 10th INC. $732.31
S/C 9th INC. $717.38
S/C 8th INC. $702.01
to have the allowance reintroduced
for its members too.
How is a leave loading paid?
Recreational leave loading is paid
to all Police Association members
(including PSO and Reservist
members) as an entitlement under
the Victoria Police Force Certified
Agreement 2001.
Rank
Leave
Loading
2007
S/C 7th INC. $686.64
S/C 6th INC. $676.44
S/C 5th INC. $663.31
CONST 4th INC. $604.62
CONST 3rd INC. $584.13
CONST 2nd INC. $563.66
CONST 1st INC. $543.19
SENIOR PSO $695.83
SENIOR PSO $682.18
PSO GRADE 1
3rd INC. $604.24
PSO GRADE 1
2nd INC. $578.35
PSO GRADE 1
1st INC. $556.23
PSO 4th INC. $534.84
PSO 3rd INC. $524.34
PSO 2nd INC. $514.06
PSO 1st INC. $500.86
RESERVIST $629.61
RECRUITS $368.18
Please note: Leave loading applies to part time members on a pro rata basis
Instead of having leave loading
paid when an individual member
actually takes leave, all police
employees receive their loading at
the same time, in the first pay of
February each year.
The payment of leave loading in a
one-off block was introduced in
1990 as a more efficient way for
large organisations, such as the
Victoria Police Force, to pay leave
annually, particularly given that
our members have the flexibility to
take short periods of leave at
different times in a calendar year.
When do I get the leave loading?
Payment is made in the first pay of
February every year. In 2007, this
will occur on the 1st of February.
The leave loading amount is based
on a members ‘base rate’ of pay.
This calculation occurs on the 1st of
January each year.
How much should I get paid?
Members should receive 17.5
percent of their base rate of pay for
the first 4 weeks of their
recreational leave.
Members often miscalculate their
February 2007 Journal The Police Association Victoria
www.tpav.org.au

7
leave loading entitlements
assuming that their ordinary rate of
pay is the same as their base rate of
pay. It is not.
A members ordinary pay rate is a
combination of their base pay plus
a compensatory allowance. The
allowance is 13 percent for ranks
below Senior Sergeant and 16.4
percent for Officers.
Leave loading only considers the
‘base’ component of ordinary rates
of pay.
For officers, the leave loading rate
is capped at the salary of Inspector,
Increment 1.
What if I have been absent
without pay on maternity leave
when the calculation is made
on January 1?
Recently the Association became
aware of members in some areas of
the Force that were not paid leave
loading because they were absent
on unpaid portions of their
maternity leave on 1 January.
Members on maternity leave still
accrue leave for the first 6 months,
irrespective of whether leave is a
paid or unpaid portion.
In 2006, the Association
successfully argued that a member’s
unpaid absence (due to maternity
leave) on January 1 does not
negate an entitlement to
recreational leave loading.
While this is the case for
maternity leave, other forms of
leave without pay may affect your
entitlement. To determine if your
leave loading has been affected by
unpaid leave, you can ring The
Police Association for individual
advice.
You need to check your pay?
Members should check their pay
slips to make sure they received the
correct leave loading on the 1st of
February.
To make this task easier, we have
calculated your entitlements for you
(see table opposite).
For general information on
allowances or entitlements
remember to regularly visit the
Associations website,
www.tpav.org.au
If you’re still unsure, or just want
more information members can
also contact our Industrial Relations
section during business hours for
personal advice.
Discipline/
Legal News
Now that the festive season has
come and gone, and we are
back at it for another year, it
is timely to take stock of where we
may be headed in 2007.
This year, the Government will
resume their intended course of
replacing the Police Regulation Act
1958, with a Victoria Police Act.
Several other Australian policing
jurisdictions have recently been
through this process, where ageing
legislation has been updated.
The new Act may well have a
significant impact on the way in
which the policing role is performed
in Victoria and your Police
Association will be vigilant in our
negotiations to ensure that all
current terms and conditions of
employment are preserved.
A review of the internal police
discipline system has been earmarked
for some time, but has been
put on hold until the Act is
changed. It is likely that the review
will be reinstated upon the
finalisation of the legislation, and
the Association will participate in
that review.
The pre-election promises of the
Government, regarding the creation
of a Professional Registration Board
for police and a Police Career
Service Commission will be high on
the Association’s agenda. These two
bodies will have a marked impact
on the policing profession.
2007 will see the final report (to
Parliament) of the Special
Investigations Monitor into the
operations of the Office of Police
Integrity. A watching brief is being
maintained and submissions will be
made to the SIM where appropriate.
All of these issues are of major
importance to all members and will
receive the care and attention they
deserve.
Members are again reminded to
familiarise themselves with the
Police Regulation Act 1958, as it will
continue to govern policing in
Victoria until it is replaced.
Members should read and be aware
of their entitlements and
obligations under the current Act,
which can be found in the
‘members’ only’ section of the
website – just follow the links via
the Legal/Discipline page.
Any queries on matters relating to
your individual circumstances
should initially be directed to the
Discipline/Legal Section at the
Association.
Depending on the nature of your
inquiry, advice on discipline matters
can be obtained directly from the
Association, and professional legal
advice may be sought from
preferred solicitors upon referral
from the Discipline/Legal Section.
Initial legal advice on criminal
matters is available to all members
on a preliminary, no cost, basis.
“Guidelines for Members Under
Investigation” can also be found on
the website, and a working
knowledge of those guidelines is a
must for all members.
We wish you a prosperous and
happy 2007 and are available for
assistance on urgent matters 24
hours a day, through the
Association switch-board.
www.tpav.org.au
February 2007 Journal The Police Association Victoria