Metro Tasmania Pty Ltd v the Respondent
At a glance
- 1
What happened
the Applicant, a bus driver in Burnie, Tasmania, claimed he was underpaid for 24 Saturdays worked between October 2015 and March 2020. He argued that under the enterprise agreements (2013 and 2016), Saturdays should have been treated as rostered days off attracting double time penalty rates. However, under a 2012 memorandum of understanding, Saturday work in Burnie had been arranged on a voluntary basis with a sign-up sheet, paid at time and a half. He claimed the time and a half rate was incorrect.
What was decided
The Federal Court allowed the employer's appeal and dismissed the Applicant's claim. The court found that the Saturdays were not rostered days off within the meaning of the enterprise agreements because they were on a voluntary sign-up basis, not part of the regular ongoing roster. The voluntary arrangement, documented in the memorandum of understanding and operated through a sign-up sheet, fell outside the definition of rostered days off. Therefore, the time and a half penalty rate applied, not double time.
What it means for employers
Penalty rates for rostered days off apply only when days are part of the regular roster. Voluntary or special arrangements with different terms may attract different rates. Proper documentation of such arrangements helps establish their meaning and effect.
What it means for employees
Penalty rates depend on how work is actually rostered and structured. Voluntary arrangements may have different terms from the standard roster. Employees should understand the basis on which they are engaged for particular work.
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