Dear FSU Member,
FSU Members came together last week after reporting they had recently been directed to take a period of annual leave during a global pandemic, before 30 September. We heard from staff that they were under enormous pressure to take leave, and that personal circumstances such as family/caring responsibilities or financial situations were not being taken into account.
The zoom meeting was a great opportunity for Westpac Group workers across the country to share their stories. It also provided an opportunity to ask questions about your rights in relation to annual leave, as set out in the Westpac Group Enterprise Agreement 2019. The message from workers at the zoom meeting was pretty clear: they told us that choice and control over the timing of taking leave is important, especially during a global pandemic when travel options are limited.
If you feel you are under pressure to enter leave or have already entered leave, fill in this link and one of our Advocates will contact you.
Annual Leave: Your Rights
- Westpac can only direct an employee to take leave if they have excessive annual leave accrued or have not already taken 10 consecutive days that year.
- The Westpac Group Enterprise Agreement 2019, says that “You and your manager should schedule your leave having regard to your personal circumstances and preference”. What’s reasonable for you is a key consideration.
- Westpac must give you a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice when directing you to take annual leave.
The union will write an open letter to the bank outlining that it is totally unreasonable to direct all their staff to take excessive annual leave during this time.
The first step of our collective campaign is to sign up and show your support here.
The flowchart below clarifies your rights around annual leave. Please share it with your colleagues. There is a printable version here with more detailed guidance.
In Unity,
Julia Angrisano
FSU National Secretary