Light Fleet Vehicle Policy Dispute – Member Update 11 June

Dear members,

PSA representatives and Heavy Vehicle Steering Committee members attended further compulsory conciliation as part of the light fleet vehicle dispute on 20 May. Previous bulletins can be accessed HERE.

As part of the extended conciliation process that clearly identified that the PSA was not consulted about these changes, we now confirm that there is a proposed trial of Version 7 of the business rules.

What is different?

The PSA and RMS have agreed that the use of RMS vehicles should not be for the travelling to and from your place of residence and your home station.

The RMS has now agreed that for operational needs, staff can seek approval for home garaging. Previously, the direction was for staff to travel via your own devices to a home station and pick up a RMS vehicle and travel to other temporary work locations. If those locations involved COIs working more than seven hours 22 minutes, then the applicable compensation was overtime.

Now that RMS vehicles will be provided and that home garaging approvals will be facilitated, the compensation is contained under Clause 19.2 Travel Compensation.

The RMS has agreed home garaging approvals can be made by the one-up manager as long as this isn’t an on-going approval. For instance, if staff are working at a fleet worksite for two weeks, home garaging approvals can be sought for that length of time.

What happens if I don’t have the capacity or don’t want to home garage?

COIs can continue to travel to a home station and pick up a RMS vehicle and travel to the temporary worksite ready to start for the allocated shift time. The difference now is that the compensation for that travel is no longer overtime but travel time as administered in Clause 19 – Travel Compensation for times outside of rostered shift.

What defines operational need for fleet vehicles?

The types of tasks COIs are directed to do will determine the operational need. This includes whether staff are required to attend work locations where there is no or inadequate public transport; showers, lockers and change rooms are not provided; staff are required to take excessive amounts of equipment including assigned items and PPE; staff are required to travel to fleet stations or are conducting on-road enforcement duties. This is not an exhaustive list.

What if I am directed to work more than seven hours 22 minutes?

Overtime would be applicable. Note this interpretation is on the assumption that this would not include any excess travel to/from a home station to a temporary work location.

What about adequate amenities at work and temporary work locations?

The PSA has been provided with a concise list of home station and temporary work locations on 22 May. The previous arguments from the PSA was that if there were unsatisfactory personal amenities at work and temporary work locations, COIs should get a fleet vehicle. Whilst the PSA hasn’t backed away from this interpretation; further work regarding adequate controls with the RMS are necessary.

What about parking up vehicles at other locations instead of home stations?

The PSA has sought agreement from the RMS to approve the ‘parking up’ of fleet vehicles at other locations instead of the home station. Whilst there are have been some operational issues identified with such a request, the RMS has agreed that this could be approved by Operations Managers.

Payments of overtime and excess travel top ups

The PSA is awaiting payment for overtime applications between December and March. The PSA has also been informed that the RMS is working on the gap between overtime and excess travel payments previously made for those staff who did not make application for overtime.

The PSA sought agreement from the RMS that overtime would continue to be paid for applications from 12 March to 17 May. However, the IRC was reluctant to make such a recommendation. Because our interpretation of overtime has not been ‘tested’ any such attempt to secure overtime payments for staff between these dates would require an arbitration of the matter. Considering that RMS cars will be made available in most occasions, the PSA is reluctant to arbitrate the matter at this time.

 

What happens to the policy come 1 July?

The PSA has met with representatives from the RMS and TfNSW regarding the application of the policy after 1 July. The PSA can confirm that these arrangements will remain in place until such time as TfNSW wishes to consult on any further policy changes.

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