• Section 1 - Audience
• Section 2 - Introduction
• Section 3 - Purpose
• Section 4 - Hours of Work 
• Casual Professional Staff
• Casual Teaching Staff
• Work Outside Ordinary Hours and Rostered Hours
• Section 5 - Minimum Periods of Engagement
• Section 6 - Timesheets
• Section 7 - Overtime
• Eligibility for Overtime
• Requested and Approved Overtime
• Rates for Approved Overtime
• Minimum Rest Periods or Alternative Payment Terms
• Section 8 - Training
• Section 9 - Definitions

Section 1 - Audience

(1) This policy should be understood by all staff and all areas of the University of Newcastle (University). Specifically this policy applies to casual professional, academic and teaching staff employed under the University's Enterprise Agreements, except where otherwise stated.

Section 2 - Introduction

(2) The University supports compliance with the obligations within the various Enterprise Agreements in place, and as amended from time to time. In this regard, the University is committed to ensuring casual staff are paid in accordance with the terms set out in the relevant Enterprise Agreements.

Section 3 - Purpose

(3) To support the University’s compliance obligations, this policy outlines the University's requirements for casual professional, academic and teaching staff to record their hours of work and any associated claims for overtime to enable the correct payment of wages in accordance with the relevant Enterprise Agreement. 

Section 4 - Hours of Work 

Casual Professional Staff

(4) Hours of Work and span of Hours of Work for casual professional staff is set out in the Enterprise Agreement and is dependent on the category of staff.

Casual Teaching Staff

(5) Hours of Work for Newstep and ELICOS and Community Music teaching staff is 35 hours per week. The span of hours for Newstep and ELICOS teaching staff is set out in the Enterprise Agreement.

Work Outside Ordinary Hours and Rostered Hours

(6) Work outside of the ordinary or rostered Hours of Work, as approved and required by the University, may attract either overtime or penalty rates depending on the applicable provisions of the Enterprise Agreement (See Section 7 Overtime). 

Section 5 - Minimum Periods of Engagement

(7) The minimum period of engagement for casual staff is as follows:

(8)  Professional staff employed on a casual basis have the following exceptions to their minimum period of engagement:

1. Students (including post graduate students) who are expected to attend the University as a student on the same day they are required to perform casual professional work for the University will have a minimum period of engagement of 1 hour.
2. Staff who have a primary occupation elsewhere (or with the University) will have a minimum period of engagement of 1 hour.
3. An engagement of less than the minimum of 3 hours may be agreed to by the University when requested by the staff member.

Section 6 - Timesheets

(9) Casual staff are required to submit timesheets in accordance with the Casual Staff Time and Attendance Procedure. 

(10) Casual staff who do not comply with the Casual Staff Time and Attendance Procedure may experience delays in receiving payment of wages until the requirements are complied with.

(11) Timesheets must:

1. accurately reflect days and dates of work, and start and finish times;
2. be submitted each fortnight; and
3. be approved by the relevant supervisor or timesheet approver.

(12) The University does not permit timesheets to be submitted in bulk.

Section 7 - Overtime

Eligibility for Overtime

(13) The following staff may be eligible for overtime:

1. casual professional staff (see exception below); and
2. casual Newstep, ELICOS and Community Music teaching staff.

(14) Casual professional staff are not eligible for overtime if a flexible working arrangement applies and the overtime work can be accommodated within that arrangement. This includes agreement between a casual professional staff member and their manager to work their rostered hours of work at a time that may be outside the ordinary Hours of Work or in a period where no hours of work have been rostered.

(15) Casual academic staff are not eligible for overtime.

Requested and Approved Overtime

(16) Casual staff may be requested to work reasonable overtime, as defined by the relevant Enterprise Agreement.

(17) Wherever possible staff will be given at least 48 hours notice of any overtime to be worked. Casual staff may advise the University of circumstances which would make the requirement to work overtime unreasonable, following which the staff member will not be required to work the overtime.

(18) Overtime must be approved in writing by the appropriate Supervisor prior to the commencement of the overtime.

(19) Casual staff who choose to work additional hours of their own volition are not entitled to overtime payment. This includes choosing to, or agreeing (where permissible under the relevant Enterprise Agreement), work rostered hours at a time that is outside the ordinary Hours of Work.

(20) Each day’s overtime will stand alone, and will be calculated to the nearest quarter of an hour.

Rates for Approved Overtime

(21) Overtime worked outside of ordinary or rostered hours of duty, as required and approved by the University will be paid in accordance with the following table for eligible casual professional and teaching staff:

(22) Work on Sundays or public holidays will have a minimum payment of four (4) hours at the appropriate overtime rate with the exception of essential work for feeding animals, watering etc., which will attract a minimum payment of three (3) hours.

(23) The calculation of the payment of overtime for casual professional staff will not exceed the maximum salary rate applicable to HEW 7 Step 5 in accordance with the relevant Enterprise Agreement.

(24) Where a casual professional or teaching staff member has been instructed to report for work for pre-arranged overtime on a day which they would not have been required to work, and on reporting for work on that day finds that no overtime is then available, the staff member will be paid three (3) hours overtime at the overtime rate for that day.

Minimum Rest Periods or Alternative Payment Terms

(25) Casual professional and teaching staff are required to have at least 10 consecutive hours off work between hours of work performed on successive days. This may be complied with by:

1. not reporting for work until at least 10 hours has elapsed since the completion of overtime (defer the starting time) without loss of pay for any ordinary working hours during such absence; or
2. receiving overtime rates for hours of work completed without having had 10 consecutive hours off duty, until released from duty.

Section 8 - Training

(26) Supervisors and timesheet approvers are required to complete Awareness Training associated with this policy, and its associated procedure on a bi-annual basis.  The training is available on Discover.

Section 9 - Definitions

(27) In the context of this document:

1. “base rate of pay” means the hourly rate of pay according to the staff members position excluding any casual loading or allowances;
2. “overtime” for eligible casual staff is work required to be performed:
   1. outside the ordinary or rostered Hours of Work as required by the University; or
   2. in excess of the maximum number of hours for an equivalent permanent position (e.g. typically 7 hours per day or 35 hours per week); or
   3. on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.