20 NovUnderstanding organisational days
By Emma Incerti-Zapedowski, ELAA Senior Advisor, Workplace Relations
VECTEA 2020 employers are required to allocate three organisational days (set-up/pack-up days) throughout the kindergarten year.
What are organisational days?
Organisational days are set out in the VECTEA 2020 (and mirror agreements) and reserved exclusively for approved organisational activities to begin and end the kindergarten year.
Three organisational days are set, with two at the beginning of Term 1 and the last day of Term 4.
During 2024 and 2025, the upcoming ‘common’ organisational days are scheduled as follows:
- Term 4, 2024: Friday, 20 December 2024
- Term 1, 2025: Tuesday, 28 January, and Wednesday, 29 January 2025 (children commence on Thursday, 30 January 2025)
- Term 4, 2025: Friday, 19 December 2025.
What activities can be undertaken on organisational days? Do they impact funded kindergarten?
Organisational days are intended to be child-free and do not count towards a service’s obligation to provide 600 hours of funded four-year-old kindergarten (or three-year-old programs).
Activities on organisational days typically focus on staff preparation, meetings and planning at the start and end of the kindergarten year. However, other organisational activities can be considered and implemented following staff and employer approval discussions.
For the beginning of the year in Term 1, one out of the two allocated common organisational days may be used for all-staff employer planning days and relevant training activities. If this is the case, it is important to allocate the second common day to set-up activities that need to occur at the service level as determined by staff.
Mandatory attendance for employees on common organisational days
Organisational days should be scheduled in advance and are intended to be attended by a majority of employees who are eligible to participate on those days.
Part-time employees scheduled to work on a common organisational day, according to their regular roster, are expected to attend and will work their usual hours, with pay, as outlined in clause 34.2.
Part-time and casual employees not rostered to work on a designated day are not required to attend. However, if a part-time employee is requested to work and chooses to attend a common organisational day outside of their usual roster, they will be asked to work and be compensated for 7.6 hours, per clause 34.4.
Full-time employees are expected to attend and will be rostered and paid for their standard 7.6-hour workday, as noted in clause 34.2.
Scheduling alternative organisational days
Part-time and casual employees not usually rostered for a common organisational day (under clause 34.4) may arrange an alternative day for their organisational activities. This must be done by mutual agreement with the employer within the first two weeks of Term 1 or the final two weeks of Term 4, as per clause 34.3.
