ATTN Transport Officers,
Yesterday a communication was sent via AmbiCAD message stating words to the effect that, ‘due to the high volume of transfers, we may not be able to give breaks in some cases’.
All ATO’s should be aware that Clause 22 (d) of their Certified Agreement states that ‘Employees will be allocated a 30 minute paid break during the shift’ and that ‘break[s] may be interrupted to meet urgent operational needs’
It is the position of the AEAWA that a ‘high volume’ of non-emergency transfers does NOT constitute an ‘urgent operational need’ and therefore your break must be granted and not interrupted on this basis.
We have been in contact with Employee Relations and demanded an immediate cessation of this breach of the agreement, and we urge any ATO member who is not granted their break to contact us immediately.
AEAWA Executive