A Bona Fide Bonus at Newcastle

A BONA FIDE BONUS

The General Staff Agreement 2010 provided for a $500 bonus to be paid pro rata to all ongoing, contingent and fixed term staff who were employees of the University at 17 December 2010 (clause 36.2). The great majority of you who were eligible would have received a bonus calculated according to whether you were full-time ($500) or part-time (some fraction of $500).

However, the University is a big employer relying on standardised systems. An unusual occurrence like this bonus payment was sure to create some confusion. Following a complaint from a member, a full-time employee who at 17 December was taking Long Service Leave at half pay (clause 58.7), and who had received only $250 bonus, the CPSU wrote to the University about the specific incident and also raised the problem in general terms at GSCC.

We said that making an arrangement about leave did not have the effect of altering the employment contract, and that as a fulltime employee (coincidentally on leave at half pay) our member should have received $500. We pointed out that had our member taken leave at double pay (clause 58.8) the University would not have paid him $1000 bonus. The leave arrangement should not have come into consideration.

The University agreed. Moreover, a search of their records discovered a number of other staff in similar situations who had likewise been denied the full bonus and they rectified those as well, with the payments adjusted in the pay ending 1 September.

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