The purpose of this circular is to clarify the arrangements applicable to employees selected for temporary placement under the Migrant Work Experience Program (MWEP).

The employment conditions listed below are additional to the information contained in the September 1999 Guidelines on the Program issued by the Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (ODEOPE).

(1) Rate of pay - Generally, the participant will be paid at the rate applicable to the temporary placement position. If, however, the participant already receives a rate of pay higher than the rate applicable to the temporary placement position, the participant may negotiate with the host agency continued payment of their existing rate of pay. For the purposes of such negotiations, the existing rate of pay includes any allowances regarded by the current employer as being in the nature of salary.

(2) All leave will continue to accrue in the normal manner during the Program.

(3) During the Program, the participant will be subject to the working conditions applicable in the host organisation and will be required to comply with the rules applicable to attendance and the taking of leave in the host organisation. In emergency circumstances, however, if, for example, the participant is ill or needs to access family and community service leave/personal carer's leave, the participant will be entitled to do so but must support every absence with a satisfactory explanation or documentation, as required by the host organisation.

(4) Recreation leave accrued during the Program must be taken by the participant before resuming duty in the parent organisation. If the participant has not already received payment of the annual leave loading from the parent organisation before commencing the Program, the host organisation will also pay a proportion of the annual leave loading, that is, on the leave accrued while the participant worked for the host organisation.

(5) At the completion of the Program, the host organisation must advise the parent organisation of:-

whether the participant's services during the Program were satisfactory;
all leave taken by the participant during the Program; and
the particulars of any proportionate leave loading payment made to the participant during the Program.

(6) If the participant is eligible for incremental progression in the position occupied in the parent organisation, the period of participation in the Program will count towards incremental progression of the participant, provided the services during the incremental period were satisfactory.

(7) The participant will be required to meet all costs for travel between their home to the temporary work location. No compensation for additional time spent on daily travel between home and the workplace will be granted.

(8) If however, the participant is required to undertake official travel on behalf of the host organisation, compensation for any costs properly and reasonably incurred will be reimbursed by the host organisation according to the provisions applicable to its employees.

(9) Where, the participant needs to relocate in order to take up a placement offered under the Program, the ODEOPE and the host organisation will provide assistance as follows:-

(i) ODEOPE will:-

meet travel costs of the participant to the temporary work location at the commencement of the placement and from the temporary work on cessation of the placement; and

make a contribution towards the participant's initial accommodation and meal expenses for up to seven days, if the participant needs to stay in a hotel, motel or boarding house while looking for suitable long-term accommodation. Such assistance could be extended for up to another seven days in exceptional circumstances.

(ii) The host organisation will:-

grant special leave with pay once every four weeks before and/or after a weekend (or rostered time off in the case of shift workers), if the participant wishes to return home to visit the family at their permanent location. If the participant wishes to return more frequently, this may be approved by the host organisation on the basis that the absence is convenient for the host organisation and any additional time off required is debited against the participant's flextime, accrued recreation/extended (long service) leave or leave without pay;

if the participant requests, assist the participant, before the relocation, in obtaining information on available accommodation, the location of suitable eating establishments and the approximate cost of meals.

(10) Any monetary assistance given in terms of (8) and (9) above is to be limited to expenses properly and reasonably incurred and supported by receipts or other acceptable evidence of expenditure. Any special leave granted is to be limited to the time required by the employee to travel to and from the permanent location by the most direct route.

(11) During the placement under the Program, the participant will continue to be required to meet their own contributions to superannuation. Arrangements are to be made by the participant before the placement commences or as soon as it commences for the host organisation to deduct and to transmit superannuation deductions to the relevant superannuation fund. Where employer contributions also need to be made at regular intervals, the host organisation will negotiate a mutually satisfactory arrangement with the parent organisation before or at the commencement of the placement for such payment(s) to be made either directly by the host organisations to the superannuation scheme in question or to the parent organisation for transmission to the superannuation scheme.

Any enquiries from organisations concerning this circular should be directed to the PSMO client contact officer for their organisation.

C. Gellatly
Director-General