RFS Award Consultation Update/Survey Results – Message from the PSA
The PSA Survey in relation to the proposed changes to the RFS Award Consultation closed recently. Below is a snapshot of your response and the key themes provided in feedback from our members.
Thank you to all members who completed the survey and provided their feedback.
Survey Results
| Proposal / Survey Question | In favour | Against |
| The proposal to record the hours of work. | 68% | |
| The proposal to convert the current Agreed Absences (AAs) and Local Arrangements (Las) into a Flexible Working Hours Agreement (FLEX) where all hours worked are accrued. Do you support replacing AAs and LAs with a FLEX system? | 63% | |
| The proposal to recognise directed weekend work by accrual of flex hours at penalty rates (i.e. 1 hour worked on a Saturday would equal 1.5 hours accrued in flex time). Do you support this? | 63% | |
| If No, Do you support paid overtime for directed weekend work instead of accruing flex hours at penalty rates? | 85% | |
| Currently overtime is all time approved or directed to be worked before
7:30am or after 6pm on a normal workday between Monday to Friday, or anytime directed on weekends and public holidays. The proposed principles will only allow for overtime to be paid for directed work outside of bandwidth. Do you support overtime to only be applied to directed work outside the bandwidth? |
87% | |
| The PSA has advocated that overtime should be applicable within the bandwidth when directed to work in excess of 7 hours. Do you support this proposal? | 95% | |
| Do you support the proposal to convert the current $250 a week After Hours Allowance to a $1.90 an hour Duty Officer Allowance? NOTE – the current $250 per week allowance is static and has not been increased since 2002, the proposed $1.90 per hour would be indexed and increase in line with salary increases each year. | 50% | 50% |
| Do you support the payment of the proposed Incident Allowance to Duty Officers when they are activated? | 78% | |
| The proposed principles remove the Annualised Conditions Allowance (ACA)
and allows all staff to claim the individual allowances in both the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award 2009 and the Duty Officer Allowance and the Incident Allowance from a new RFS Award. See reference to those changes in the PSA’s bulletin dated 7th May 2021. Do you support this? |
52% | |
| If no, would you support the change if there was grand parenting of the ACA for those who are currently receiving it? | 54% | |
| The proposal to rename the current classification of RFS Officer (OCC) to RFS Officer (Shift Worker). Do you support this?
|
72% | |
| The proposed provisions would result in variable shift penalties paid for actual shifts worked and Annual Leave Loading included in the Shift Worker’s base salary. Do you support the proposal to remove the ASP and replace it with variable shift penalties? | 93% | |
| The principles propose to regrade current OCC roles in line with RFS Officer grades. Do you support this? | 62% | |
| Do you agree with the RFS proposal to move to flexible rostering? | 100% | |
| Do you agree with the removal of the requirement for each shift to be staffed by an OCC Senior Operator and OCC Operator? | 100% | |
| The principles document identifies changes to the wording around shift patterns. These are: Maximum of 10 days in a 13 day period (5-1-5-2) Maximum of 6 nights in a 9 day period (3-1-3-2). Do you support this? | 78% | |
| Do you support the proposal to extend shifts from either 5 days to 6 days, or 3 nights to 4 nights (by agreement and approval)? | 50% | 50% |
| Overall, would you support a new Award containing the principles as stated by the RFS and which have been overviewed in our recent bulletins? | 85% |
A full break down of the survey questions can be found HERE. As promised, to protect confidentiality open ended comments will not be published.
Key Themes
- Members do not want to be adversely affected with a reduced take home pay under a new Award.
- Members wish to see a fair and equitable application of the Award for all and not a select few.
- Members want to see an Award that is consistent with other Emergency Service Agencies within NSW.
- Members wish to see the Award modernised that better compensates all staff for work performed outside of the normal working week.
- Members want to be able to choose between accessing flex time or over time when performing additional hours.
- Members wish to be paid overtime for all hours in excess of 7 hours and for any work directed to be performed outside of the bandwidth.
- Members want a fair and equitable system for all staff who perform Duty and On-Call.
- Members want an Award that is clear and not open to interpretation/manipulation by the Service.
- Members wish to see an Award that clearly aligns IMT roles with RFS grades to better compensate staff for fulfilling these roles during incidents.
- Members want to see the RFS approach the NSW Government seeking increased funding for the salary and wages budget that truly reflects the Services business model and which compensates staff whom perform work outside of the bandwidth.
What does this all mean?
As previously stated, PSA members agree that the Award as currently proposed needs changes.
Unlike the RFS, the PSA will not walk away from seeking to improve and modernise the Award that better protects and compensates you and your colleagues for the invaluable work that you perform.
The PSA will continue to negotiate an improved Award for all members and which may require the intervention and arbitration from the Industrial Relations Commission.
Your union remains committed to working to protect your industrial rights and highlight areas of concern where and when they arise.
Thank you to your RFS Delegates
PSA Industrial Staff would like to give a huge thank you to your RFS Delegates. The role of PSA Delegate is an unpaid role, which requires them to represent members concerns, often in the face of extreme pressure and confrontation with management. As well as giving up their own time to do tasks such as survey design and interpretation of results, they expend an enormous amount of mental energy and stress in order to stand up for you. Put simply, your RFS delegates are champions of the state, who have chosen to stand up and speak on behalf of others. Your delegates are below.
Your NSW RFS delegates