State Library of NSW - Flexible Working Hours Agreement

State Library of NSW – Flexible Working Hours Agreement

State Library – FWHA – 9 September 2016 (PDF version)

Members may not be aware that despite officially being part of the Justice cluster, staff at the State Library are still covered by the NSW Trade and Investment Flexible Working Hours Agreement (FWHA). Whilst management has indicated it would like to update the FWHA for cultural institutions in due course, discussions are not expected to begin until the end of 2016.

General provisions

Bandwidth – 6:00am to 10:00pm

Core time – 10:00am to 3:00pm

Settlement period – 12 weeks

Maximum accumulated credit hours – 42 (any excess forfeited)

Maximum allowable debit hours – 14 (any excess debited against other leave).

Accumulation and carry over

Staff are entitled to accumulate both credit and debit hours in any settlement period.

Members have reported that they have been put “under pressure” by supervisors to reduce their debit hours in any given settlement period, despite being within the allowable 14 hours. The PSA reminds members that, while management are allowed to notify staff members if they believe there is a possibility they will be in excess of 14 hours, staff are entitled to be in debit of up to 14 hours if they wish. Additionally, staff are under no obligation to reduce their debit hours back to zero in any given settlement period.

Members have also reported they feel under pressure to work excessive hours, consistently losing accumulated flex hours above the 42 allowed to carry over. Your FWHA states it is the responsibility of your line management to “re-determine work priorities and resource requirements to assist their staff to action the reduction of excess credit hours by the settlement period”. This means it is a responsibility of your supervisor to ensure that you are able to take your flex days if you are in danger of carrying over more than 42 hours each settlement period.

Actual Working Hours

Your FWHA states that “actual working hours and patterns of work are determined by mutual agreement between a staff member and their supervisor”. Whilst your supervisor needs to take into account the operational requirements of your area, they are equally required to take into account the personal commitments and needs of the staff member. A staff member may select their starting and finishing time within the bandwidth, subject to core time provisions and with the Department’s concurrence.

If members are experiencing any difficulties in accessing the provisions of your FWHA, please contact your delegates for clarification. Alternatively, contact your PSA Organiser, Harry Wall at .