Public service offered three days off work, double superannuation payments for women on maternity leave in EBA negotiations

Planning a holiday? Public servants could get three extra days off under a new offer in their enterprise bargaining negotiations.

PUBLIC servants have been offered up to three days’ extra annual leave as part of enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Women would also have their superannuation payments doubled when on maternity leave.

But the Commissioner for Public Employment is refusing to budge on a Government-imposed pay freeze, sticking to an offer of a $1000 cash bonus.

The latest offer put forward includes a new provision for “Christmas closedown leave”.

It would mean public servants are given extra paid leave for the period between Christmas and New Year – up to three working days – when their agency is shut down.

Under the existing agreement, affected workers are required to use some of their six weeks’ annual leave to cover these days if their agency is closed over Christmas.

But the new offer would see them given extra paid leave days to cover this period.

“A new entitlement (will provide) paid Christmas closedown leave for the number of days needed to cover an agency’s closedown period between Christmas and New Year’s Day,” an information sheet sent to public servants says.

“If there are operational reasons why an employee is required to work during the Christmas to New Year’s Day period (e.g. agency does not close down), the employee will be able to bank the equivalent working days (on a time-for-time basis) to be taken within the following 12 months.

“The entitlement does not accumulate from year to year and is not paid out on cessation of employment.”

Public servants have already been offered new leave entitlements including gender transitioning leave and NAIDOC March leave in earlier rounds of negotiations.

The latest offer would also double a woman’s superannuation contributions during maternity leave.

“Recognising that women’s superannuation earning capacity may reduce when on parental leave, (we would) pay (superannuation) at double the legislated rate during a period of paid Primary Caregiver Leave,” the information sheet says.

Partners would also be paid super for 12 months if they take leave after the birth of a child, even if the leave is unpaid.

The latest offer also includes a guarantee there will be no involuntary redundancies for the next four years.

But unions have so far rejected the Commissioner’s offers. They are protesting a pay freeze that would see no increase to wages for four years.

Instead, public servants have been offered a $1000 cash bonus. In 2019 the NT Government commissioned former Western Australian Under Treasurer John Langoulant to conduct a review into its finances. His report recommended public service pay rises be capped at $1000 to help repair the NT’s budget.