Public Service - Overtime rates?

tannytantans

Hi,

I'm writing this on behalf of my boyfriend. He's a clerical officer and once a year his office gets an overtime opportunity to sort out filing etc for the new year.

He was asked to work on Saturday from 9-1 and agreed (he was actually there til 6 getting it finished but that's another story!) Anyway this morning his Finance Officer told him that because he worked 9-1 he will only be getting paid at standard time rate and not time and a half. However, if his approved hours were 2-6 he would have been paid at the time and a half rate!She told him you only get time and a half if you work after hours (ie after 6 in the evening) or after 2pm on the weekend.

Can anyone confirm if this is right or point me in the direction of a circular that explains it? I've worked in HR before and never heard about overtime rates only applying at certain times at the weekend.

Thanks!

Nody

It depends on his contract honestly; his union may have negotiated that instead of only having 1.5 rates on weekends it is applicable hours between 6pm to 6am on weekdays and from 2pm on weekends for example.

tannytantans

Thanks for the reply.

It's definitely not in his contract and he's not in the union I know he worked a Saturday last year and definitely got the time and a half.

Might get him to call HR - it'd be good to know for future reference.

therecklessone

tannytantans wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

It's definitely not in his contract and he's not in the union I know he worked a Saturday last year and definitely got the time and a half.

Might get him to call HR - it'd be good to know for future reference.

Whether he is in the union is immaterial, they have negotiating rights for his grade and as such any settlements reached will apply to him also.

It is likely your other half is affected by some element of the Croke Park Agreement.

Mountjoy Mugger

If the overtime starts on a Saturday, in some PS jobs, overtime is paid time and a half from the outset, for the first four hours.

I would seriously query this with the Finance Officer, and also consult the Working Time Act. It's quite possible that HR may have an overtime policy if he does work in the P.S. - check this also.

tannytantans

Well OH called his HR Dept in Navan - they said he should definitely be getting time and a half.

But his Finance Officer then showed him the system where she puts in the hours etc and there's a separate section for working Saturdays 9-1 and she insists it only gets paid at standard rate.

He queried if it's written anywhere but it's not. :rolleyes:

He doesn't mind too much - would just like to know for definite one way or another!

highgiant1985

tannytantans wrote: »

Well OH called his HR Dept in Navan - they said he should definitely be getting time and a half.

But his Finance Officer then showed him the system where she puts in the hours etc and there's a separate section for working Saturdays 9-1 and she insists it only gets paid at standard rate.

He queried if it's written anywhere but it's not. :rolleyes:

He doesn't mind too much - would just like to know for definite one way or another!

get an email/written confirmation it should be time and a half from the HR dept in Navan. Bring this to Finance office if she disagrees ask her to contact HR in navan to confirm with them and ask for confirmation in writing on the matter.

I suspect the system they use to record hours worked will always show the hours actually worked regardless of the rate those hours are paid at. Its only when those hours are brought into payroll that they get converted at a rate e.g. time, time and a half, double time etc...

Likely this is one of three things

1 The system is set up wrong by the users during initial configuration
2 the finance officer doesn't understand how the system works and you'll actually get paid time and a half even though they only see hours as hours actually worked
3 Navan HR are wrong.

Kosseegan

Most likely they are trying to hoodwink him. There is a fixed amount of money in the budget for overtime so paying the lower rate kepps more money in the fund. Those things are always recorded in agreements betweeen the unions and the management. He should join the union and not expect his colleagues to pay for his representation.