Steve Whetton Assistant Secretary Police Association
I INDUSTRIAL
The curse of restricted leave allocations A
nnual leave allocations right throughout SAPOL have been a constant source of concern to Police Association members. The Police Officers Award stipulates that: “… the employee shall no later than the first day of October in each year forward to the manager dates they desire to have annual leave for the next financial year. Management no later than the first day of November in each year forward to the Commissioner of Police a roster of the proposed annual leave for the next ensuing financial year.” General order 8420, Human resource management, Leave, Leave (Police) restricts leave allocation. It stipulates that: “As a general rule during the period of the end of November in one year and the end of March in the following year, no more than 12 per cent of members (similar percentage for supervisory members) should be absent from the workplace on leave. Districts/LSA/branch managers may exceed this general rule provided that:
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• all forecast local and corporate operational obligations will be met. • there are exceptional or special circumstances.” Allocations become further restricted when two or more seemingly separate workplaces within an LSA or district are measured against each other when trying to determine who gets leave as the 12 per cent quota is applied across the LSA and district. Leave allocations were immediately affected by the COVID-19 emergency declared in South Australia on March 22, 2020. Police officers then had to manage border restrictions, process overseas and interstate traveller arrivals, check that people were complying with the requirement to quarantine or self-isolate, and police medi-hotels. These responsibilities came in addition to the administrative duties which officers had to carry out in respect of the pandemic. Members have, at short notice, had to change shifts, rosters and locations, and work overtime to meet the demands of emergency management. Naturally, this has greatly impacted on their family lives.
Police Journal
The greatest upheaval for members and their families has been the requirement, when necessary, to selfisolate and submit to testing for COVID-19. In their family lives, police officers have faced the same challenges everyone else has. Some live with “vulnerable persons” such as family members who are elderly or afflicted with life-threatening medical conditions. Many have partners and children who look forward to holidays and recreation – simple pursuits which create meaningful memories and bring respite. Thrust upon police officers, however, was the cancellation, and then further restriction, of recreation, long-service, retention, police-service and purchased leave across their entire workforce. • March 27, 2020 – all leave cancelled from April 9 to June 30, 2020 for the entire SAPOL workforce to fulfill obligations under the Emergency Management Act. (This included recreation, long-service, retention, police-service, and purchased leave.) • May 13, 2020 – variation of cancellation-of-leave direction for
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In their family lives, police officers have faced the same challenges everyone else has. Some live with “vulnerable persons” such as family members who are elderly or afflicted with life-threatening medical conditions.
Regular mail Police Journal, PO Box 6032, Halifax St, Adelaide SA 5000 Email editor@pasa.asn.au Fax (08) 8212 2002 Internal dispatch Police Journal 168
