Clearance of Excess Accrued Public Holiday Arrangements – NSW Trains

Bulletin 36 –

TO ALL RTBU Members (NSW Trains)

Members are advised that after some considerable discussions with NSW Trains Management in relation to Management’s proposal to “pay out” excess accrued public holidays NSW Trains have agreed to the following options with an extended cut off date of 24^th July, 2015.

Options:

1. Cash out of public holidays:

Employees should indicate by the 24 July 2015 of their preferred option. If an employee does not nominate one of the options any balance exceeding 8 days will be paid out in August 2015.

Once a date has been finalised with Payroll the affected employees will be advised.

No action is required from employees who wish to have their public holiday leave balances more than 8 days paid out.

2. Clearing public holiday leave as a part of the 2016 leave plan:

• Train Crew & Station Staff employees can submit a leave application by the 24 July 2015, indicating they would like to take their accrued days either side of their scheduled annual leave in 2016. All public holiday leave will need to be cleared by 31 December 2016.
• All other employees: can submit a public holiday leave request to their manager by 24 July 2015, to clear the public holiday balances by the 29 February 2016.

If a leave request has been submitted and the preferred dates cannot be accommodated due to operational requirements, managers will provide alternate dates for the employee. If the alternate dates are declined by the employee, then the public holiday balance of more than 8 days will be ‘cashed out’ in August 2015.

3. Progressive cash out payments:

Employees can elect to have gradual payments until 1 September 2015, with all excess public holiday leave to be cleared by this date.

4. Current approved public holiday leave:

Any employee, who has already been approved for public holiday leave will not be required to ‘cash out’ this planned public holiday leave.

However, an employee with a balance greater than 8 days can elect to submit a leave request based on the above options 1 to 3.

In conjunction with Sydney Trains and Unions NSW, NSW Trains will form a working party to develop a procedure for the payment of public holiday accruals and the accumulation of public holiday in the future.

Members are advised to submit their preferred option as soon as possible and should there be any further difficulties in having their option implemented that they should contact their Delegates or the RTBU Office.