Purchase Card (PCard) and Travelling Compensation
25 May 2022
You will have recently received a communication from the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as to the entitlements when traveling overnight (clause 26 of the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award (鈥渢he Award鈥))) and entitlements when traveling on a one-day journey (cl 29 of the Award), which outlines the Department鈥檚 policy for employees who regularly travel and the use of the PCard.
This communication is part of an agreed outcome from the long-running dispute between the 色狼社区and the Department which arose from the introduction of the PCard in late 2017.
In brief, the 色狼社区filed a dispute in the IRC in 2020 and reached an agreement which has been signed off between the parties in May 2022.
In addition to the CFO’s communication the 色狼社区brings to your attention the following:
The agreement was made on a without admission basis.聽This means the 色狼社区has not relinquished its position with respect to the interpretation, or application of clauses 26 or 29 of the Award.
However, after extensive surveying of our members, we did not consider that now was the appropriate time to take this matter to arbitration.
One area where the 色狼社区remains in stark disagreement is with regard to whether a 鈥渇ield worker鈥 is entitled to an allowance under cl. 29 of the Award.
色狼社区wins
Some clear wins for members from this dispute has been the following:
- Acknowledgement that the allowance not actuals are payable on one day journeys (clause 29),
- Acknowledgement that where staff incur expenses personally (e.g. because a PCard has not been issued or a PCard was not accepted by a vendor) then the allowances are payable in respect to overnight travel (clause 26)
- DCS to consult with 色狼社区to better define 鈥榠ncidental鈥 expenses to provide greater clarity to staff and management,
- Staff will have the ability to purchase bulk meals and incidentals to cover multiple days of travel (on a trial basis for now),
- DCS to review possible underpayments of both Clause 26 and 29 since the introduction of the PCard.
This now concludes this dispute and despite the amount of time it has taken we hope that it provides greater clarity for members at this time going forward.