AP785611 - Journalists (Television) Award 1998

PART 8 - TRANSFERS, TRAVELLING AND WORKING AWAY FROM USUAL PLACE OF WORK 

25. DISTANT ENGAGEMENTS

25.1 Definition

A distant engagement is an assignment requiring a member to spend one or more nights away from the location where he or she is regularly employed (the place of origin).

25.2 Commencement and ceasing times for distant engagements

25.2.1 A distant engagement begins from the time of departure on the assignment from the place of origin, provided that where a member has commenced work prior to the time of departure the distant engagement shall commence eight hours after the member commenced duty on that day and the member shall be treated as having worked eight hours on that day in addition to any time worked that day on the distant engagement.

25.2.2 A distant engagement ends at whichever is the later of the time the member returns to the place of origin or at the time the member ceases work on that day.

25.2.3 If a member is required to resume work within twelve hours of completion of a distant engagement, the provisions of subclause 21.7 shall apply.

25.3 Calculation of ordinary hours of work, overtime and shift penalty payments and treatment of days off on a distant engagement

25.3.1 Time spent working on any day and where travel is by a means approved by the employer, time spent travelling on any day shall be hours of duty on that day for the purpose of this subclause. Each member shall be treated as working a minimum of nine hours on any day.

25.3.2 Except as provided in paragraph 25.3.4, overtime shall only occur where the hours of duty of a member exceed 38 in seven consecutive days.

25.3.3 Work performed without any travel for more than eleven hours (including any meal break) on any day shall be overtime.

25.3.4 No time shall be counted as overtime more than once.

25.3.5 All overtime worked on a distant engagement shall be either allowed as time off in lieu (at the rate of hour for hour and shall be given off in blocks of four hours), or paid at the rate of time and one half for the first eight hours and double time thereafter as determined by the employer.

25.3.6 A member on a distant engagement shall be paid additional loadings in accordance with the provisions of clause 21. For the purpose of this paragraph:

Ordinary hours of duty means the first nine hours of duty on any day except when those hours are overtime by reason of subclause 20.8.

25.3.7 When a member on a distant engagement is not given weekly days off duty to which the member is entitled under subclause 18.4, the member shall be given them within fourteen days of the cessation of the distant engagement, in addition to the days off to which the member is entitled in that fourteen day period with the days off to be continuous where the member has been on a distant engagement for a week or more without being given any days off as provided for in subclause 18.4.