News
25th March, 2021
Rostering Graduates to Annual Leave
The effect of this clause is that a discussion about the timing of taking annual leave should occur between the employer and employee before the employee is rostered to leave.
Members have recently advised the Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU) that Graduate Paramedics are being rostered to a period of annual leave within the first 8-12 weeks of their starting date on road with Ambulance Victoria (AV).
Typically, Graduate Paramedics are rostered to their first annual leave block after having completed 5 months of on road supervised practice (unless agreed otherwise). This allows the Graduate to achieve a solid grounding before advancing to the next stage of the Graduate program. In the past Graduate members who have been rostered to annual leave after such a short timeframe on road have stated that the leave block negatively affected their progression and clinical confidence.
Graduate members should be aware of the following clause in the Ambulance Victoria Enterprise Agreement 2020 (AVEA):
55.6 (c) The Employer and employee will seek to reach agreement on the taking of annual leave at a mutually convenient time. In the absence of agreement, the employer may give at least 28 days’ notice of the taking of annual leave.
The effect of this clause is that a discussion about the timing of taking annual leave should occur between the employer and employee before the employee is rostered to leave. If you do not agree with the timing of your rostered annual leave and this discussion about the timing of your leave has not taken place, you have the right to raise this formally with AV including through the VAU or by lodging a grievance under the AVEA.
Graduate members are invited to confidentially contact the VAU for assistance at [email protected].