AUXILIARY UPDATE : 30 april 2021

LABOUR DAY 2021

Monday 3 May 2021 is Labour Day in Queensland and a gazetted public holiday.

PUBLIC HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENTS:
Public holiday entitlements for Auxiliary Firefighters are set out at clause 26 of your award. Please refer to the Auxiliary Update dated 9 October 2019 for information about how to claim for work on a public holiday.

That Update included the following advice –

Calculation of payment for public holiday work
I am pleased to advise you that the UFUQ has won our dispute with QFES regarding the interpretation of clauses 22 and 24 of the Award relating to payment for public holiday work.

In their decision, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission agreed with the union, ruling that the minimum entitlement of 4 hours payment for the day operates alongside the ordinary 2-hour engagement period for each call-in.

In doing so, the QIRC rejected QFES’s argument that the 4-hour payment overrode or “bought out” the 2-hour payment.

This means that, for work that you perform on a public holiday, you should receive the following:
1. A minimum of four hours’ pay at the public holiday rate (double time and half), regardless of time actually worked. The four hours’ payment commences when you start work on the day, and buys out any work performed during that 4-hour period.
2. All other call in work performed after that 4-hour block is remunerated at the same public holiday penalty rate, for a minimum of 2 hours for each call in.
For example, if you were called in at 1000h on the Queen’s Birthday public holiday for 30 minutes, and then again at 1200h for 1 hour, and again at 1600h for 15 minutes, you would claim the following:
4 hours at double time and a half (for the work performed within the four-hour block between 10am and 2pm)
AND
2 hours at double time and a half (for the call in at 4pm).

You can find a copy of your award here.

LABOUR DAY EVENTS:
As previously advised, there is no formal UFUQ participation in the Brisbane Labour Day march or post-march function at the RNA exhibition grounds. However, members in Brisbane and in all regions can of course make their own decisions about participation in any Labour Day marches or events.

ANZAC DAY ENTITLEMENTS

Please note that your award, at clause 26(c) provides that for Auxiliary Firefighters, Sunday 25 April 2021 is the day where public holiday entitlements apply, not the alternative day as provided for in the Holidays Act.

This means you and your colleagues who worked on Monday 26 April 2021 cannot claim public holiday entitlements as previously advised.

UFUQ ELECTION RESULTS

The UFUQ Executive and State Committee of Management results relevant to Auxiliary Firefighters are as follows –

State President:
Wayne McLean
(elected uncontested)

State Secretary:
John Oliver
(elected uncontested)

Assistant Secretary:
Shane Malley

Senior Vice President:
Peter Chalmers

Junior Vice President:
Sean Wulff

Executive member:
Paul Omanski

Executive member:
Phil Paff

Executive member:
Ryan Wood

Auxiliary South Delegate:
Alex Darling
(elected uncontested)

Auxiliary North Delegate:
Vacant
(no nomination received)

I congratulate Alex on being re-elected and look forward to working with him for the next four years on maintaining and enhancing the terms and conditions of employment for all Auxiliary Firefighters and I again encourage all Auxiliaries who are not yet members to join your union, it’s going to be an exciting and progressive time for your roles over the next four years.

John Oliver - General Secretary