Maritime Industry Seagoing Award 1998

On 8 December 1998, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission approved a new award for the Australian seagoing industry. The Award was extensively rewritten and simplified to comply with new legislative requirements and to remove non-allowable matters from the award. ASA played a central role in drafting and developing the new award. The more noteworthy features of the new Award are as follows:

• It operates on and from 14 December 1998. The Award is known as the Maritime Industry Seagoing (Interim) Award 1998.
• It updates and adjusts award allowances.
• Consistently with the introduction of company employment, it standardises notice periods for ratings and officers upon termination of employment; removes previous prescriptions and restrictions on the transfer of employees between vessels and removes all reference to the Seamen's Engagement System.
• It removes all references to class and mode of air travel.
• Minimum manning requirements for Cooks have been removed from the award.
• It contains a new "Avoidance of Exhaustion" provision incorporating, where relevant the STCW 95 Convention, as imported by Marine Orders.
• The Test Case Parental Leave clause is inserted.

The new Award has been revised annually since 1998 as the award rates of pay are reviewed in accordance with the Full Bench Paid Rates Decision. Those decisions require all awards to express rates of pay as "minimum rates". The "conversion" of award rates of pay will not affect salaries paid under existing enterprise agreements.

The significance of MISA is that it is a 'paid rates' award, taking account of inherent overtime requirements. Wage tables contained in the award are expressed as 'minimum rate', 'overtime component' and 'total rate'.

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Clerical Industry - Shipping Officers Award

In July 1998, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission granted a "safety net" adjustment to Shipping Officers employed under the Clerical Industry - Shipping Officers Award 1996. The Safety Net Adjustment of between $10-14 per week, and corresponding award allowances, was applicable to employees in receipt of minimum award classifications and was fully absorbable against all payments made over and above the minimum rates payable under enterprise agreements.

This award has been in the process of review before the AIRC pursuant to the Award Simplification principles over the course of 2003.

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