Water & Ports

Members Challenge Childcare Allowance Restrictions

Details

Published on Monday, 07 July, 2008

Sydney Water is restricting members’ eligibility to receive their childcare allowance.

To be eligible for the allowance you must be the primary carer and return to work at least 3 days a week. Additionally it is only offered for the first 3 years of the child’s life. Members of the ASU disagree with these restrictions and have identified a number of issues regarding these illogical restrictions:

ISSUE 1: Defining ‘Primary Carer’

SYDNEY WATER defines primary carer as either the birth mother or the carer who has taken at least 3 months off work because of the birth of a child.

ASU MEMBERS believe Sydney Water’s interpretation discriminates against their employees who look after children but are not classified as primary care givers because they did not take parental leave.

ISSUE 2: Returning to Work

SYDNEY WATER will only offer the childcare allowance if the Sydney Water worker returns to
work at least 3 days a week.

ASU MEMBERS believe this unfairly discriminates against those who decide to return to work 2 days a week. These workers will be financially worse off regardless of the approval and permission they have received from management, which enables them to return to work 2 days a week.

ISSUE 3: Length of allowance

SYDNEY WATER will only offer the childcare allowance for the first 3 years of a child’s life.

ASU MEMBERS believe it is logical to provide child care up until school age.

SYDNEY WATER have introduced this benefit but have deliberately limited access to it. Considering the issues attached to it, it seems more like a ‘return to work allowance’ than a ‘child care allowance’.