CODE 2, VOL 35, NO 17 : 14 june 2021

2 X 2.5% WAGE RISES – 1 JULY 2021 & 1 JANUARY 2022

I wanted to take the opportunity to build on the good news from the Code 2 (V35/#16) dated 11 June 2021 outlining the new pay points many of you will immediately be eligible for, or will soon be eligible for, from 1 July 2021.

The additional good news is that the ‘deferred’ wage rise from 1 July 2020 (when all state government employees had their wage rises deferred) lands in your pay from 1 July 2021.

That also means that the wage rise due on 1 July 2021, kicks in on 1 January 2022, completing payment to you of the three wage rises agreed to between your union and QFRS at certification of CA19.

This means that for all of you, at minimum, you will receive a 5% pay rise in the next 7 months, and for many of you, you’ll also immediately benefit from that being applied to a new pay point.  The 5% increase only came about following significant amounts of pressure from your union on the state government, who were considering not deferring your 2.5% from 1 July 2021, they had a plan to remove it entirely. So while it has taken a year for you to receive this amount, your union ensured you still received it. 

The good news on wages does not end there, there is another increase to your take home pay explained in the next topic.

17.5% ANNUAL LEAVE LOADING STARTS ACCRUING 1 JULY 2021

Following the protracted discussions and debates during the first half of 2020 between your union and the state government about the effects and outcomes of the wage ‘deferral’, you will recall an announcement by your union in late 2020 about the historic return of annual leave loading, to be paid in addition to and on top of your normal take home rate. 

From 1 July 2021, all eligible members will have the 17.5% annual leave loading paid on leave accrued from that date (see below for a reminder of eligible classifications and paypoints).

Importantly, the successful negotiation by your union of the return of the loading included accepting an offer regarding the payment method similar to many other government agencies, where a lump sum payment of the annual accrual is paid prior to Christmas each year (rather than being paid when your leave is taken). Given the workings of the rotating leave roster that applies to most members, this payment method was preferred by Treasury when the deal was being negotiated, and to ensure you received the loading, that offer was accepted.

This means that commencing in December 2021 (likely the pay date of Thursday 2 December 2021) you will be paid your accrued loading for the period 1 July 2021 to that date.

While that first payment in December 2021 will only be for approximately 5 months accrual, given the 1 July 2021 start date, from then on, each year, the amount paid in or around early December will be an additional 17.5% of the full 5 weeks of your take home pay.

17.5% Rank Eligibility:
Firefighter
(all classifications and all paypoints)
Station Officer
(all classifications and paypoints)
Communication Officer
(all classifications and paypoints)
BAO
(all classifications and paypoints)

Note: Senior Officers and Fire Communication Managers are NOT eligible for the annual leave loading accrual or payment.

If you’ve got questions about how the loading will accrue and be paid, please ask your SCM representative.

CORRECTION OF CA19 WAGE TABLES FOR 2021 WAGE RISES

You will recall that following on from the legislated wage ‘deferral’ of all Queensland government employees (as discussed above), amendments were made by the Office of Industrial Relations to all certified agreements and rushed through the QIRC.

In the process of publishing amended certified agreements, there was an error in the way the calculation of the 1 July 2021 wage rise was set out in the wage tables for all UFUQ members (Firefighter, Station Officer, Senior Officer, BAO, Fire Communication Officers, Supervisors and Managers).

The error in the calculation relates particularly to any new pay point that commences on that date, but does not cause any error in the amount in the column of each table that lists the actual take home amount for each classification (referred to in the tables as ‘Total f/n’, meaning total amount per fortnight).

However, in the interest of ensuring all information is presented to all members accurately, I have provided a PDF of the amended wage tables here, showing the amended calculations.

I am aware that QFRS is going to email all affected employees providing a similar update.

John Oliver - General Secretary 

Authorised by John Oliver General Secretary 
United Firefighters' Union of Australia, Union of Employees QLD