NSW Police – On Call Practices in DTI – February 2019 (PDF version)

The PSA has had longstanding concerns about the WHS implications of on-call practices in DTI, which have been raised in various forums particularly over the last two years.

In November 2018, your union met with NSW Police again around this issue and an email directive, endorsed by the CITO, was issued to all staff from the HR Team of DTI on 30th November 2018.

This communication specifically stated:

Where staff members are directed to work overtime, regardless of whether this is done at a work location or from home, they are to ensure they allow an 8 hour break before they resume duty. They are to notify their immediate manager/supervisor of this by phone call or email.

It was also advised that the Senior Management team and the CITO were currently reviewing the draft on-call and after hours technology support policy. The PSA understands this process is ongoing and fully supports a finalised, comprehensive policy being published as soon as practical.

In the interim, members continue to advise the PSA that there is ongoing confusion about the arrangements with regards to an 8-hour break in various teams.

Per the Award requirements and as outlined in the above excerpt from the Command’s earlier email, members who end up working overtime while on-call are entitled to an 8-hour break starting from the completion of that overtime.

For example, if a member is on call and ends up completing a task from 1am to 3am, they are not required to resume duty until 11am. This stand down period before resumption of duty does not require you to access other forms of leave; nor does it require you to work 7 hours beginning at 11am. Members should seek guidance from their Manager or Supervisor in the first instance about how to best record this on their timesheets.

The PSA recently assisted a member in having underpayment rectified with SAP errors and encourages all members to check their payslips to ensure they are receiving the correct entitlements.

Issues with regard to pay calculations should be raised with Payroll in the first instance. If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved there, members should contact the PSA.

Any member requiring assistance or clarification on these matters should contact the PSA – please remember the PSA can only support its members.

A union workplace is a fairer workplace. Not a member? Sign up HERE today!