DETERMINATION

Fair Work Act 2009
s.156—4 yearly review of modern awards

4 yearly review of modern awards—Award flexibility
(AM2014/300)

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AWARD 2010
[MA000031]

4 yearly review of modern awards - award flexibility - time off instead of payment for overtime.

A. Further to the Full Bench decision issued by the Fair Work Commission on 13 December 2016 1 the above award is varied as follows:

1. By deleting clause 24.1(d).

2. By inserting clause 24.5 as follows:

24.5 Time off instead of payment for overtime

(a) An employee and employer may agree in writing to the employee taking time off instead of being paid for a particular amount of overtime that has been worked by the employee.

(b) Any amount of overtime that has been worked by an employee in a particular pay period and that is to be taken as time off instead of the employee being paid for it must be the subject of a separate agreement under clause 24.5.

(c) The period of time off that an employee is entitled to take is the same as the number of overtime hours worked.

EXAMPLE: By making an agreement under clause 24.5 an employee who worked 2 overtime hours is entitled to 2 hours’ time off.

(d) Time off must be taken:

(i) within the period of four weeks after the overtime is worked; and

(ii) at a time or times within that period of four weeks agreed by the employee and employer.

(e) If the employee requests at any time, to be paid for overtime covered by an agreement under clause 24.5 but not taken as time off, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following the request, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

(f) If time off for overtime that has been worked is not taken within the period of four weeks mentioned in paragraph (d), the employer must pay the employee for the overtime, in the next pay period following those four weeks, at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

(g) The employer must keep a copy of any agreement under clause 24.5 as an employee record.

(h) An employer must not exert undue influence or undue pressure on an employee in relation to a decision by the employee to make, or not make, an agreement to take time off instead of payment for overtime.

(i) An employee may, under section 65 of the Act, request to take time off, at a time or times specified in the request or to be subsequently agreed by the employer and the employee, instead of being paid for overtime worked by the employee. If the employer agrees to the request then clause 24.5 will apply, including the requirement for separate written agreements under paragraph (b) for overtime that has been worked.

Note: If an employee makes a request under section 65 of the Act for a change in working arrangements, the employer may only refuse that request on reasonable business grounds (see section 65(5) of the Act).

(j) If, on the termination of the employee’s employment, time off for overtime worked by the employee to which clause 24.5 applies has not been taken, the employer must pay the employee for the overtime at the overtime rate applicable to the overtime when worked.

Note: Under section 345(1) of the Act, a person must not knowingly or recklessly make a false or misleading representation about the workplace rights of another person under clause 24.5.

3. By updating the table of contents and cross-references accordingly.

B. This determination comes into operation from 14 December 2016. In accordance with s.165(3) of the Fair Work Act 2009 this determination does not take effect until the start of the first full pay period that starts on or after 14 December 2016.

PRESIDENT

 1   [2016] FWCFB 7737; see also [2016] FWCFB 4258.

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