Working at the AIHW

This paper outlines the conditions of service for employees engaged under Section 22(2) of the Public Service Act 1999. As an Australian Public Service (APS) employee it is important that you understand and abide by these conditions. The Human Resources Manager is available to answer any questions you may have.

APS Values and APS Code of Conduct

All APS employees are bound by the APS Values and the APS Code of Conduct. Breaches of the APS Code of Conduct may be grounds for termination of employment.

The AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012

The terms and conditions of employment of all AIHW employees are set out in the AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012 (269KB PDF). Some of the terms and conditions are described below.

Note: For a full account of the terms and conditions, it is recommended that you read the Collective Agreement.

Annual Leave ¹

Annual Leave accrues at a rate of 20 days per year (approximately 1.6 days per month).

Personal Leave ²

Personal Leave accrues at a rate of 18 days per year. Ongoing employees are credited with an entitlement of 18 days Personal Leave at full pay on engagement and on each anniversary thereafter. Personal Leave credits accrue during employment but are not redeemable upon cessation.

Personal Leave may be granted to an employee by his/her manager in the following circumstances:

1. where the employee is ill or injured;
2. to care for members of his or her family or household who are ill; or
3. for compelling personal reasons, including family responsibilities.

Unless otherwise agreed by the manager, no more than four consecutive days of Personal Leave may be taken without satisfactory medical evidence.

Standard Hours of Work ³

Standard hours of work for full-time employees are 74 hours 10 minutes per fortnight, based on a 7 hour 25 minute day from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.55pm. Provisions exist for flexible working hours arrangements within certain parameters.

Recording Attendance ⁴

All Institute employees are expected to record their actual time of arrival and departure and any breaks. The usual method of recording attendance is to complete the Institute's flextime recording form, available via the intranet.

Part Time Employment ⁵

The Institute will support applications from employees wanting to work on a part-time basis where those hours are consistent with operational requirements. The agreed hours may be varied during a period of engagement.

Temporary Reassignment of Duties at a higher classification level ⁶

Ongoing employees may be provided with opportunities to work for limited periods at a higher classification than their substantive level.

Studybank

Ongoing employees are eligible to apply for assistance under Studybank. However, Studybank assistance would normally be granted only where the course of study was directly relevant to the employee's duties.

Superannuation

Ongoing employees can join the Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan (PSSap) or choose to have their employer contribution paid into another fund. Non-ongoing employees on contracts for less than 3 months may join it if they have worked a total of three months in the preceding two years; broken periods of employment over that time can count towards service and may satisfy the three months qualifying period.

Long Service Leave

The period of engagement with the Institute may have implications for either an accrual of an entitlement, granting of leave or payment in lieu of Long Service Leave. An entitlement of 3 calendar months accrues after 10 years recognised service under the Long Service Leave Act. Leave accrues at a rate of 9 calendar days for each subsequent year of recognised service. It should be noted that service, whether continuous or broken, with a number of different Commonwealth bodies may count towards Long Service Leave. It is therefore very important to discuss all prior Commonwealth service with someone in the Human Resources area of the People to establish whether you have an entitlement to Long Service Leave.

Notes

1. Refer to page 16, clauses 101-108, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.
2. Refer to pages 17-19, clauses 112-134, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.
3. Refer to page 9, clause 55, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.
4. Refer to pages 10-11, clauses 62-69, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.
5. Refer to pages 12-13, clauses 76-82, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.
6. Refer to pages 28-29, clauses 199-208, AIHW Collective Agreement 2008-2012.