T6042
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TASMANIAN INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION Industrial Relations Act 1984 Minister for Public Sector Management TASMANIAN AMBULANCE SERVICE AWARD
Award variation - clause 7 - definitions - clause 8 - wage rates - consent matter - application granted - operative 22 January 1996 REASONS FOR DECISION This was an application by the Minister for Public Sector Management (the Minister) for a variation to be made to the Tasmanian Ambulance Service Award (the Award). In relation to full-time employees the Minister sought to: (a) delete all the salary columns being used to identify the different stages of the State Service Wages Arrangement and maintain a single rate of salaries for all classifications; (b) delete the Communications Officers classifications and replace them with new classifications; and (c) amend the Definitions clause in the Award to provide a definition of Communications Officer more suited to the new classifications sought. Prior to the hearing the Minister requested the Commission to take part in an inspection of the Tasmanian Ambulance Service communications centre in Hobart so that all parties could be aware of the circumstances surrounding the application. I take this opportunity to thank the Minister and all other parties involved for the courtesy and co-operation shown to the Commission during this worthwhile exercise. At the hearing the Minister referred the Commission to a previous matter1, which concerned a wide-ranging Structural Efficiency Principle review of the Award at that time by the then Commissioner R K Gozzi. In his interim decision in that matter2, Commissioner Gozzi declined to upgrade the Communications Officers on the grounds that their training arrangements had not been finalised at the time and the use of "Computer Aided Dispatch" had not been canvassed fully. He later identified leave reserved matters, relevant to that application, as follows:
The Minister advised the Commission that since 1992 Ambulance Service communications had been centralised in Hobart on a Computer Aided Dispatch and Information System (CADIS) and all operators (Communications Officers) were required to have the same level of knowledge and skill with an appropriate TAFE course qualification. All this meant that the Communications Officers had the day-to-day control of the Ambulance Service in their responsibility for 24 hours of the day, in that each officer on shift was required to "prioritise" the ambulances under his/her control and ensure that all contingencies were able to be met at all times. A wide network of personal Red Cross alarm systems were also included in the Communications Officers' monitoring. A position description covering all levels of Communications Officer was submitted by the Minister as an exhibit and it detailed the work, the duties, the qualifications required and other relevant matters. The Minister quoted in detail from the Work Value Principle of the Commission's Guidelines in support of the application and also submitted that it was in the public interest that the application be approved. The Health Services Union of Australia, Tasmania No 1 Branch (the Union) supported the Minister's application and said that the changes introduced and reflected in the application had been significant. There had been many meetings of the parties since Commissioner Gozzi's decision in 1992 and all the Union's members involved had accepted the proposal. Ultimately the parties agreed that the proposed variations to the Award would come into operation from the first full pay period on or after 22 January 1996. Decision I endorse the submissions of the Minister and the agreement between the parties: I am satisfied that the Guidelines of the Commission have been followed in this application, especially in relation to the Work Value Principle, and that the granting of the application is not against the public interest. I commend the parties for their co-operation. The Award will be varied, as sought, operative from the first full pay period on or after 22 January 1996. The order is attached.
P A Imlach Appearances: Date and Place of Hearing: 1 T3779 of 1992
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