11 OctOrganisational days
Employers who are signatories to the VECTEA 2020 agreement are obligated to allocate a total of three organisational days in the calendar year 2024. Of these three days, two must be scheduled during the initial two days of Term 1 in 2024, while the remaining day should fall on the last day of Term 4. As outlined in VECTEA 2020’s clause 34.1, these organisational days are child-free days exclusively designated for approved organisational tasks as determined by the employer.
Typically, these tasks revolve around preparations at the start of the academic year and the conclusion of the year’s activities. However, other organisational activities can be considered and implemented after discussion with the staff and approval from the employer.
These three specific organisational days are commonly referred to as “common” organisational days, which are child-free and exempted from a service’s obligation to provide 600 hours of funded four-year-old kindergarten (or three-year-old programs).
When are the common organisational ‘child-free’ days?
Term 4, 2023: Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Term 1, 2024: Monday 29, and Tuesday, 30 January 2024 (children commence classes on Wednesday, January 31, 2024)
Term 4, 2024: Friday, December 20, 2024.
Mandatory attendance for employees on common organisational days
Part-time employees who are typically scheduled to work on a common organisational day, according to their regular roster, are expected to attend on that specific day. They will work and receive compensation for their usual rostered hours on this day, as specified in clause 34.2.
For part-time and casual employees who are not typically rostered to work on the designated day, there is no obligation to attend. However, should a part-time employee choose to attend a common organisational day that falls outside their normal roster, they will be asked to work and compensated for 7.6 hours on that day, per clause 34.4.
Full-time employees are expected to participate in common child-free days and will be rostered and paid for their standard 7.6-hour workday, as indicated in clause 34.2.
Scheduling alternative organisational days
Part-time and casual employees who are not usually scheduled to work on a common organisational day (as an alternative to clause 34.4) have the option to select an alternative day for their organisational activities. This alternative day can be arranged by mutual agreement with the employer within the first two weeks of Term 1 and the final two weeks of Term 4, as stipulated in clause 34.3.
