Infrastructure Meal Allowance – Know Your Rights!

Bulletin: 28.18

To all: RTBU Infrastructure Members (Sydney Trains)

INFRASTRUCTURE MEAL ALLOWANCE – KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

In the negotiations for the Sydney Trains Enterprise Agreement (EA) 2018, members and delegates from the RTBU Infrastructure Division fought hard for meal allowances to apply for all infrastructure wages employees.

While we did not get everything we fought for, wages members can now claim at least one meal allowance per shift.

So it is clear for all our members, please see below for what was agreed;

One meal allowance: Will be paid per shift when engaged on work away from the home depot for 4 hours or more over a single meal period (e.g. Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner).

Two meal allowances: Will be paid per shift where engaged on work away from the home depot for 4 hours or more over three meal periods.

Meal Periods are defined within the Sydney Trains EA as follows;

Breakfast – Depart home depot before 0700 and return after 0800

Lunch – Depart home depot before 1300 and return after 1400

Dinner – Depart home depot before 1830 and return after 1830

From yesterday, the 1^st May 2018 all infrastructure wages employees from grade IW 4.1 and below will be able to claim at least one meal allowance per shift when working away from your home depot for at least 4 hours or more when meeting the above criteria.

Note: This does not apply for most night shifts.

During the discussions around the meal allowance entitlement the RTBU Infrastructure team made it clear to Sydney Trains that we will be seeking to completely close the gap between our salaried members and wages members regarding meal allowances in the next EA.

How do I claim this meal allowance?

All wages employees that are entitled to claim this allowance will need to record on their daily running sheet (time sheet) the fact they are claiming a meal so it can be processed by payroll.

If you are unsure whether or not you are entitled to a meal allowance, you can contact your rostering officer, local union delegate or your organisers.

Lastly, if any RTBU Infrastructure member that is not entitled to claim meal allowances and is not receiving their disability allowance contact your organisers immediately on the below details;

Luke Hayden                                                                                      Jonathan Parker

Email: lhayden@rtbu-nsw.asn.au                                             Email: infrastructure@rtbu-nsw.asn.au

Mobile: 0499 710 707                                                                      Mobile: 0418 166 742

In Solidarity!