Perspective
Know your rights: What allowances, loadings and penalties am I entitled to?
Published: 26 October 2011
Allowances are usually found under a specific heading in your award or agreement.
However some additional payments are also sometimes found in other clauses, such as hours’ provisions.
Allowances generally cover entitlements such as board and lodging, dispensing, divisional or district allowances (including fares or travel costs in the Western District), night supervisor allowance, on-call and re-call, operating theatre allowance for in-charge, uniform allowance, X-ray and radium allowance, and so forth.
It is important to understand the reason for the allowance and how it is applied.
Some allowances in enterprise agreements have been increased above the rates stipulated in the awards.
Clause 11 of the Nurses and Midwives (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (EB7) 2009 sets out the applicable rates in the public sector.
Allowances for Offender Health nurses differ in some respects to allowances applicable generally in the rest of the public sector.
In aged care, private hospitals and other areas in the private sector, allowances will be covered in the relevant agreement or by the modern award, the Nurses Award 2010.
Shift work
Allowances and penalties for shift work are contained under a separate clause to the allowances provisions.
Shift allowances and penalties generally apply under the clause pertaining to shift work.
The standard award afternoon shift allowances in the public sector are 12.5 per cent for RNs (excluding DONs) and ENs and 15 per cent for AINs.
In the private sector the afternoon shift loading for all nurses except RNs levels 4 and 5, is 12.5 per cent.
The public sector night shift allowance is 20 per cent for RNs and ENs and 17.5 per cent for AINs.
In the private sector the night shift loading rate is 15 per cent for all classifications except RNs levels 4
and 5.
Weekends
Allowances and loadings payable on weekends are included under headings such as Weekend Work – Extra Payment.
Saturday is paid at an additional 50 per cent of ordinary time earnings (OTE) in all nursing awards.
Sunday is paid at an additional 75 per cent in all nursing awards except for AINs in the public sector, who are paid double time.
A word of caution for private sector members – if you are covered by an enterprise agreement the rates may be different from the award rates.
If you are not sure, look in the Your entitlements section.
If you are still not sure you can call QNU Connect on 3099 3210.
Contact:
Phone:
