BEWARE: AUTHORISED HOLIDAY MISINFORMATION
Members would now be aware that after drawn out discussions and another attempt by Australia Post to fiddle around with your picnic day, the Authorised Holiday has now been declared for 29 December 2017.
A management Q&A document is currently circulating around multiple business units advising on a range of different scenarios for the Authorised Holiday.
One Q&A in particular has concerned a number of members who have brought the matter to your Union’s attention. It reads:
Q. What if I already have approved Rec Leave for the Christmas/New Year’s period?
A. If you already have Rec Leave approved for the 2017 Christmas/New Year’s period, your AD (Authorised Holiday) will be automatically banked and credited in your leave balance. This will be credited as “Authorised Day” in the “My Leave Balances” tile. The banked AD is to be used by 30 September 2018.
This information is entirely incorrect and should be ignored by members.
If you already have approved leave for this period, the status quo that should be applied in this circumstance is for a member to be paid the ordinary rate of pay for the Authorised Holiday with the leave for that day re-credited back in to your general leave accrual. In some workplaces, it is customary for an additional day off to be taken at the end of the original period of leave – this type of local arrangements should be discussed and agreed upon with your local manager prior to commencing leave.
Under no circumstances should this leave be re-credited back to you in a special category with a use-by date of any kind.
We have raised this matter with Australia Post at the national level. Management have agreed with our view on the matter and have committed to correcting their communication material.
However, given Post’s dismal track record on any type of complicated payroll matters, members who already have pre-approved leave should be vigilant in checking their entitlements when they return from leave to ensure the Authorised Holiday has been re-credited to their leave balances appropriately. In instances where this has not occurred members should contact their State Branch Official for urgent assistance.
Further, members who are yet to submit a leave application should submit their application specifically excluding the Authorised Holiday, to ensure it is paid correctly as a public holiday the first time.
