An email this week from a SCOM official leads us to once again remind members to regularly check your payslips:
In the last few months I’ve had several members who have had major faults with their pay. In one case the FF was underpaid $21,000! All, but one, issue was solved by contacting payroll directly. Two were paid at the wrong rank, one not paid specialist allowances every week, and one member paid incorrectly when on leave.
And now my most recent pay was incorrect by $184 as they had taken out too much tax. There were no additional payments (OT etc) or anything else to explain it. Further to this, the additional tax doesn’t align to any other scale, such as non tax free threshold, or even a higher rank, it’s just an arbitrary amount. They have corrected it, but have no idea how it happened. It may be that their payroll system has a glitch or two.
It would be useful to ask your members to check their pay slips and see if they are being paid correctly including leave and superannuation.
For members wondering, no, a $21,000 payroll error is not a record (nor even close for that matter). Members who are unsure about the accuracy of their pays and/or their correct entitlements are invited to contact the Union office for assistance and advice.
Medical Review Consent? Say no
The Department continues to advise members claiming for workers compensation or seeking a fitness for duty assessment that they must sign either a “Medical Review Consent” or “Authority to obtain and or release of information related to your injury” form before their matter can progress. Despite the claims (and threats) made in the forms, the Department is not entitled or required to know all of your health details, nor does it have the right to access your medical records or doctors. Members who are asked to sign these forms should decline to do so and to contact the Union office for further advice.
In brief …
Permanent members in SSS and SASS contemplating retirement are advised to wait until after the next 2.5% wage increase takes effect on 19 February in order to ensure that your superannuation pension and/or lump sum benefits are adjusted accordingly. Contact SSS on 1300 130 096 or SASS on 1300 130 095 for confirmation of your final super benefits before you retire, not afterwards.
Further to the previous item, and in a disturbing development that shows the capacity for health and fitness to be used as a weapon against members, a retained firefighter was this week stood down for alleged health and fitness concerns after sensibly declining the Captain’s invitation to mow the station’s lawns on a 40 degree day. More to follow.
Jim Casey
State Secretary
For a printable copy of this SITREP, please click here.
