National Minimum Terms & Conditions for Basic and Advanced Registrars
Information for Registrars, Supervisors and RTPs, December 2007
Click Here to view the new T&C document.

If you have already signed an employment contract for 2008 you need to contact your supervisor to make this amendment.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

The NMT&C has been reviewed by GPRA and NGPSA and signed off for the commencement of the 2008 training year. The following information is provided with a view to explaining the changes to registrars.

Base salaries
The NMT&C 2008 document, clause 6.1.9 states:
The salaries prescribed in this agreement will be reviewed at the end of each calendar year and adjusted upwards in line with movements in the CMBS, VR and Level B consultation items. Both parties shall accept the determination of the AMA with respect to the amount of indexation. The new salaries will become applicable in the new training year immediately following this.

The AMA has advised that a 2.1% indexation will apply to the base salaries outlined in the 2006 document. As per the clause above these will apply to the new training year. The relevant figures are:

	Annual salary	Weekly salary	Hourly rate
Basic Registrar	62,695.6	1205.68	31.73
Advanced Registrar	79,037.4	1519.95	40.00

NB. 9% superannuation is applied on top of these amounts
If you have already signed an employment contract for 2008 you need to contact your supervisor to make this amendment.

Work Choices legislation – impact on GP registrars as employees
The following information is taken from www.workchoices.gov.au, and is consistent with advice given by the AMA, namely that the sick leave provisions in the current NMT&C are not consistent with the minimum entitlement in the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions

Standard. The main differences are:

1. Sick leave is now referred to as personal/carer’s leave (defined below). This makes clear what has been happening in practice, ie that registrars can use this leave for illness of family members as well.
2. The minimum personal/carer’s leave entitlements under the AFPCS is 10 days.
3. The AFPCS makes provision for a further 2 days of unpaid carer’s leave per episode once all paid personal/carer’s leave entitlements are used.
4. The AFPC makes provision for two days paid compassionate leave per episode (defined below)

In summary:
NMT&C 2006 provided for 7.6 hours paid sick leave per 30 days work, ie. 6 standard days leave per 6 month term.
NMT&C 2007 and 2008 now provides for 5 days paid personal/carer’s leave per 6 month term, 2 days of unpaid carer’s leave per episode and 2 days paid compassionate leave per episode.

Pay cycles
As you are aware, GPRA’s position is that the length of the pay cycle for the purposes of percentage billings calculations should be reduced from the current 3 months. This was a major sticking point at the previous negotiations and we were unable to pursue this again successfully in this round without threatening to drag out the process again.

GPRA’s position is unchanged, and we encourage registrars to negotiate on this issue with their supervisors. We also encourage RLOs to represent this issue with their RTP, noting that there is precedent for at least one RTP to stipulate that practices must pay their registrars over a 2 weekly cycle.

Summary information regarding Work-Choices legislation
For further information see www.workchoices.gov.au, Fact sheets for employees

Employees covered by the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard
The Standard will apply to all employees who are employed by:

• trading, financial and foreign corporations (constitutional corporations);
• employers in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands;
• the Commonwealth, including its authorities;
• employers who employ waterside, maritime and flight crew employees (and their employees) in connection with interstate, overseas, inter-territory or state-territory trade and commerce; and
• employers in Victoria.
  
  

Employees who are not eligible to be covered by WorkChoices including employees of unincorporated businesses, some state government employers, sole traders and partnerships (apart from those in Victoria and the territories), will be covered by relevant state laws.

The Standard overrides an agreement or contract of employment if the agreement or contract of employment provides less favourable entitlements to an employee.

The minimum conditions of employment are:

• a maximum of 38 ordinary hours of work per week;
• four weeks of paid annual leave (with an additional week for shift workers);
• ten days of paid personal/carer’s leave (including sick leave and carer’s leave), with provision for an additional two days of unpaid carer’s leave per occasion and an additional two days of paid compassionate leave per occasion; and
• 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave (including maternity, paternity and adoption leave).
  
  

Under WorkChoices eligible employees are entitled to:

• ten days of paid personal/carer’s leave per year (including sick leave and
  carer’s leave);
• two days of unpaid carer’s leave per occasion; and
• two days of paid compassionate leave per occasion.
  

Paid personal/carer’s leave can be taken:

• due to personal illness or injury (sick leave); or
• to provide care or support for a member of the employee’s immediate family or household who requires care or support due to personal illness or injury, or an unexpected emergency (carer’s leave).
  

Up to ten days of paid personal/carer’s leave in any given year can be used as carer’s leave and personal/carer’s leave is cumulative.

Full-time and part-time employees are only eligible for unpaid carer’s leave if they do not have any paid personal/carer’s leave credit available.

Compassionate leave

All eligible full-time and part-time employees are entitled to compassionate leave upon the death of a member of the employee’s immediate family or household, or to spend time with a seriously ill, injured or dying person who is a member of the employee’s immediate family or household.

As with paid personal/carer’s leave, an employer can request that an employee provide reasonable evidence of the illness, injury or death.

Immediate family means the employee’s spouse (including de facto spouse,
former spouse, or former de facto spouses), child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling. In addition, immediate family includes the child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the employee’s current or former spouse (including de facto spouses).

For enquiries, contact enquiries@gpra.org.au