Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
Are you Leave Loaded? - The Police Association Victoria
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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>