Madeleine Harradence, Assistant Secretary of ANMF (Vic Branch)
If you are currently a full- or part-time employee under the Victorian public sector nurses and midwives agreement, and are considering converting to casual employment, there are several things to consider before making that decision.
What do I get as a casual that I don’t get as a full- or part-time employee?
You receive a 25% loading on your hourly rate.
Access to long service leave at seven years’ service (currently eight years’ service required for full and part-time employees, and from July 2023 it will be the same – seven years)
What do I miss out on as a casual employee?
No guaranteed minimum hours
No paid annual leave
No paid personal leave
You begin accruing long service leave at half the rate you do as a full- or part-time employee
No access to purchased leave
No paid compassionate leave
No paid family violence leave
No payment for absences on defence leave
No paid professional development leave other than for mandatory training
No paid study leave
No paid examination leave
No rosters
No change of roster allowance
No redeployment allowance
No special disaster leave
No notice period before termination
Is my employer obliged to allow me to become casual?
No. In fact your employer may require you to formally apply for a casual position.
Many employers, even if they do agree, will make you go three months without a shift to avoid any continuity of service for long service leave purposes.
Can I be a CNS or CMS and be casual?
The classification of clinical nurse specialist or clinical midwife specialist is only available to full- and part-time employees, not casual employees.
What happens to my accrued sick leave?
It simply disappears and is no longer available.
What happens to my accrued annual leave?
It will typically be paid out in lieu on conversion to casual employment and you cease accruing further annual leave.
What happens to my accrued long service leave?
That depends on how many years of service you have.
If you have less than the threshold amount of service (currently 8 years’ service, and from July 2023 it will be 7 years) then it remains and (if you do not have a three-month gap between shifts) you begin accruing at the lower rate of 0.86 weeks per year of service, compared to 1.73 per year as a part- or full-time employee.
If you have met the threshold, it will be paid out on termination of your full- or part-time employment, even if you remain on staff as a casual.
You cannot transfer service from one employer to another while casual. You can transfer your service to another full- or part-time role at another health service, and remain on casual bank with your current employer.
Slightly different and more complex rules apply to enrolled nurses, and affected ENs should seek individual advice from the Member Assistance Team by submitting an online inquiry form.