Neighbourhood Houses & Adult Community Education Centres Collective Agreement 2010 and Pay Tables

NHACE Collective Agreement 2010 Approved & Operational

The Neighbourhood House & Adult Community Education Centres Agreement 2010 has been approved by Fair Work Australia (FWA) and operates from Friday 13 May 2011. See below for a copy of the Agreement and current paytables. The nominal expiry date of the Agreement is 1 July 2011 but the agreement will continue in force until it is replaced. The approved agreement includes two important changes which were required by FWA. These changes bring the Agreement into line with the conditions of the modern awards and the National Employment Standards as required by the Fair Work Act. They change the operation of the agreement as follows:

No more 25% loading for part timers in lieu of leave

The old SACS award had a provision which allowed permanent part-time SACS employees to forgo their leave entitlements in exchange for payment of a 25% loading. The Agreement attempted to preserve this arrangement for existing employees. However, FWA took the view that this could breach the National Employment Standards in relation to leave entitlements. We have therefore provided an undertaking that this provision will no longer apply. If this affects your employees, contact your employer association for advice about how to rectify the situation.

No more 1 hour engagement for casual tutors

Clause 10.5.1 of the agreement originally specified that casual tutors must be paid for a minimum of 2 hours if they are at Level 2 or 3, but that tutors at Level 1 may be engaged for one hour. However, before approving the Agreement, Fair Work Australia raised a concern that the 1 hour minimum would be a detriment relative to the Educational Services post Secondary award. In order to allow the Agreement to be approved, an undertaking has been provided that the minimum engagement is 2 hours for all casual tutors, and the 1 hour provision does not apply.

The respondents to the agreement are in schedule 5 of the Agreement. Fair Work determined that a number of organisations could not be respondents on technical grounds. If a neighbourhood house or learning centre is not listed as a respondent to the Agreement then the industrial instrument applying to your staff will be either the underlying awards or the 07 or 08 Agreements. If you are unsure as to which industrial instrument applies to your staff, please contact ANHLC. 

Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres Workplace Agreement Pay Rates at 1 July 2011.

Due to the recent Federal minimum wage increase which came into effect from the first pay period on or after 1 July 2011, it has been necessary to review and update pay rates under the NHACE 2010 agreement where the rates have fallen below the Federal minimum under the applicable underlying award.

As a result Jobs Australia has published a new pay table. The rates that have increased are:

(Neighbourhood House Employees) Community Development Workers - Class I 1st year, 2nd year and Class II 1st Year;

Children’s Services Employees - Support Workers all levels, and Children’s Services Employees 1.1 up to 4.3.

The pay table is attached below.