Innovative Clauses

By ACIRRT

The quarter saw a number of occupational health and safety provisions and family friendly provisions.

The quarter saw a number of occupational health and safety provisions providing comprehensive procedures relating to employee consultation, representative entitlements and safety bonus systems.

In the construction industry clauses outlining the processes of consultation and training in OHS of all employees were a feature. The safety committee is to become the forum for promoting initiatives in OHS and paid leave to attend training courses is provided.

In the public sector safety representatives have the same entitlements as union delegates in relation to taking "reasonable" time off from duty to attend health and safety issues. In addition those reps required to attend meetings outside their normal hours will be paid for that time and will be given access to phones, computers and meeting rooms.

In local government an annual safety bonus is paid if 90% compliance with local government management systems. Also employee participation in designing safety systems is encouraged.

Family Friendly Provisions

Cost effective solutions to both employee and employers are provided or attempted in various agreements.

In the education sector recognises the pressures that employees may experience when attempting to balance work and family lives. The employer acknowledges that overtime can impinge upon the family lives of workers. The agreement states that family pressures are sufficient reason to not work beyond their standard hours.

In engineering employees are allowed to access two days of their annual carer's leave entitlement to be used when their children under 13 years of age are at home on a school student-free day.

In the community services sector an agreement stipulates that paid parental leave is to be taken at half-pay, with entitlements ranging from eight weeks at half-pay for employees with between one and two years service to fourteen weeks at half-pay for workers with more than five years service.

(ADAM Report. no. 37, June 2003)