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Last year, the Victorian Ambulance Union Incorporated (VAU) raised concerns with St John about an alleged underpayment in relation to the payment of shift allowances.

The underpayment has occurred where the hourly shift allowance paid by St John to an employee working an afternoon or night shift has been less than the flat allowance that would have been payable to the employee under the Modern Award. These underpayments relate to the period before the commencement of the St John Enterprise Agreement. The VAU bargained for a reconciliation clause to be included in the Agreement to ensure that such underpayments would not occur anymore.

At the start of this year, the VAU commenced proceedings in the Magistrates Court on behalf of a member, seeking rectification of the underpayment. Following discussions with St John and their representatives, the VAU believes that there is now agreement about how the calculation of any underpaid amount should be conducted.

The VAU will now seek confirmation from St John that it will review all other affected employees, calculate any underpaid amounts and rectify those underpayments. The VAU will seek confirmation as to the timeline for this process and how it will be communicated to the affected employees.

The VAU will provide a further update in the near future when we have a response from St John.

If you have any queries, please contact the VAU.