Premium pay directive

Overview

This directive covers northern allowance, standby pay, shift differential, call-back pay, camp staff and trip allowance, overtime, Institutional Fire Prevention and Control, and Correctional Institution Salary Allowance.

Northern allowance

Bargaining unit employees are eligible to receive the northern allowance as set out in the Collective Agreement.

Effective October 1, 2009, a non-bargaining unit employee whose work location is north of the 57th parallel of north latitude will be paid a northern allowance of $241.38 for each bi-weekly pay period served. This allowance is not payable to employees who work temporarily in the north and who are on travel status or are receiving any subsistence allowance.

Northern allowance continues while employees are on leave with pay.

Northern allowance for partial bi-weekly periods of employment will be calculated as follows:

• Bi-Weekly Northern Allowance, ÷ by 10 (No. of work days in a bi-weekly period),
  X No. of Days worked in the Pay Period at Straight Time Rates

Attraction bonus for employees located in Fort McMurray and north of the 57th parallel

Effective July 1, 2006 to the date of discontinuation or revision, individuals recruited to permanent or temporary salaried positions with the Government of Alberta to work in one of the following locations, are eligible to receive an Attraction Bonus. Employees hired into wage positions, including 2850, are not eligible for the Attraction Bonus, however, if a wage employee moves into a temporary salaried or a permanent position, they would be eligible for the Attraction Bonus at that point in time.

All external new hires to the Government of Alberta who are recruited to positions in any of the designated locations shall be eligible for the bonus. All Government of Alberta employees who currently work and reside outside of these designated areas and relocate to any of these locations are eligible for the attraction bonus. The designated locations are:

The attraction bonus is a one-time payment that is equivalent to 25% of base pay (bi-weekly pay X 26.1 X 25%) upon commencement, less all lawful deductions. The attraction bonus is paid on a quarterly basis over the first year of employment.

All individuals who receive the attraction bonus will be required to sign a 2-year Return Service Agreement. The attraction bonus will be pro-rated for individuals who are seconded or who are recruited to temporary salaried positions (the Return Service Agreement to be amended if temporary salary position is for less than 2 years) or part time positions in these locations. The proration formula to use is as follows:

• 25% of base pay X number of work days for the length of the position ÷ by 522 = Prorated Attraction Bonus
  (522 = 261 work days in a 2 year period)

If temporary positions are extended or part-time positions are changed to full-time, the Deputy Head has discretion to adjust the remaining quarterly payments to reflect the new term of the position or the new full-time salary. The Return Service Agreement is to be amended accordingly.

The attraction bonus is paid in addition to the Northern Allowance or the Fort McMurray Allowance. The bonus is non-pensionable.

Employees on unpaid leave during the first year of employment remain eligible for the four quarterly Attraction Bonus payments. The Return Service Agreement is to be extended to incorporate any additional unpaid leave taken during the original return service period.

The attraction bonus is not available to employees who are already currently employed and reside in one of the designated locations. If a current employee who already resides in a designated location is recruited to another position in one of the designated locations, the attraction bonus shall not be paid.

For example:

• External applicant who currently resides in Fort McMurray and is successful on a position with a Fort McMurray worksite is eligible to receive the attraction bonus.
• Internal applicant who currently works and resides in Fort McMurray and is successful on a position with a worksite north of the 57th parallel is not eligible to receive the attraction bonus.
• An applicant (either internal or external) who resides outside of the designated areas and is successful on a position in either Fort McMurray or a location north of the 57th parallel is eligible to receive the attraction bonus.

An employee will receive the attraction bonus one time only during the term of the attraction bonus program.

If an employee does not fulfil the 2 year Return Service Agreement, the following formula can be used to determine the repayment amount:

• Total amount of Attraction Bonus ÷ by 522 X the number of work days remaining in the service period = Repayment Amount
  (522 = 261 work days in a 2 year period)

55th to 57th parallels retention allowance

Effective October 1, 2007 to the date of discontinuation or revision, eligible employees (salary, temporary salary, contract of employment) who work and reside in locations between the 55th and 57th parallels (excluding those eligible for the Fort McMurray Allowance) shall be paid an annual retention bonus of $6,000.00, less all lawful deductions. Wage employees are not eligible for the Retention Allowance, with the exception of Wage 2850 employees who are eligible for the Retention Allowance effective July 1, 2011. Employees within the first 24 months of the effective date of commencing to receive Long Term Disability (LTD) benefits are eligible for the Retention Allowance.

Employees must continue to be employed and reside between the 55th and 57th parallels on the payment date. The payment will be made in 2 installments per year on the cheques for the bi-weekly pay periods that include March 31 and September 30.

The Retention Allowance payment shall be pro-rated based on the employee's commencement date. If an employee begins employment on or before the 15th day of a month and works the rest of the month, that month will count as a full calendar month.

The payment shall also be pro-rated for part-time employees.

Payments will NOT be pro-rated if employees are no longer employed and residing within the established boundary prior to the payment date, except in the following situations effective with the September 2009 bonus:

• Payments will be pro-rated only if an employee, based on an Employer initiated transfer to another Government of Alberta worksite is required to relocate outside the established boundaries prior to the payment date; and
• Employees on a leave of absence without pay are not entitled to the Retention Allowance payment during the period of their unpaid leave. The Allowance will be pro-rated for the period they were at work and paid to the employee upon their return to work in a designated location between the 55 - 57th parallels; and
• Employees are not entitled to the Allowance while on a maternity leave except for the period of time they are in receipt of SUB plan payments.

The Retention Allowance is non-pensionable compensation.

Eligible locations

Plus any other location between the 55th and 57th parallels, excluding those eligible for the Fort McMurray Allowance.

Standby pay

Bargaining unit employees will receive standby pay as set out in the Collective Agreement.

During a period in which Systems Analysts are not scheduled for normal work but are required to be immediately available to return to work, they will receive regular pay or time off at one half hour for each four hours or any portion of a four-hour period they are required to be available. If Systems Analysts are required to be available on a paid holiday, they will receive regular pay or time off at one hour for each four hours or any portion of a four-hour period they are required to be available. If Systems Analysts are unable to return to work when requested, they will not receive standby pay.

Shift differential

Bargaining unit employees will receive shift differential as set out in the Collective Agreement.

Call-back pay

Bargaining unit employees receive call-back pay as set out in the Collective Agreement.

Opted out and excluded employees who are eligible for overtime pay will be paid for not less than 2 hours of the applicable overtime rate when called back to work outside of their scheduled working hours, including travel time to and from the job.

Camp staff and trip allowance

Employees (including wage employees) who are required to accompany or be responsible for individuals under the department's supervision on an authorized recreation trip or to a camp will be paid an allowance. Effective April 1, 1998, the allowance will be $22 per day when the trip or camp exceeds the employee's normal daily hours, or $30 per day for an overnight trip or camp.

Overtime

A supervisor responsible for authorizing overtime may require employees to work hours in excess of regularly scheduled hours.

Bargaining unit employees will receive overtime pay as set out in the Collective Agreement. Opted out and excluded employees will receive overtime pay as set out in the Overtime directive.

Institutional fire prevention and control

Non-bargaining unit employees designated by the Employer to render services in conjunction with Institutional Fire Prevention and Control shall receive remuneration as determined by the following schedule of remuneration:

(1) A Fireman shall be paid:

(a) $35.00 for each tour of fire watch duty; and

(b) $20.00 for each attendance at two (2) compulsory practice fire drills every month, outside of scheduled working hours.

(2) A Driver shall be paid:

(a) $50.00 for each tour of fire watch duty; and

(b) $20.00 for each attendance at two (2) compulsory practice fire drills every month, outside of scheduled working hours.

(3) A Crew Chief shall be paid:

(a) $65.00 for each tour of fire watch duty; and

(b) $20.00 for each attendance at two (2) compulsory fire drills every month, outside of scheduled working hours.

(4) A Fire Captain or Deputy Chief, when assigned the duties of the Fire Chief in his absence due to holidays or other circumstances, shall be paid at the rate of $20.00 for each complete day on duty.

(5) A Fireman, Driver or Crew Chief shall not receive any additional payment for attending more than two (2) compulsory fire practices during a month.

(6) A Fire Prevention Officer shall be remunerated at the rate of $43.68 for each complete bi-weekly pay period worked in areas where necessary. For absences due to vacation, illness or other circumstances, the bi-weekly rate shall be pro-rated accordingly.

(7) The Executive Director, the Medical Superintendent, or the Business Manager, of the hospital involved and the Physical Plant Manager shall allow all possible fire fighting staff on normal work duty to respond to a fire alarm without loss of pay in order to assure an available crew to fight fire during those hours when there is not a scheduled crew on stand-by.

(8) At Michener Centre, Red Deer; where the fire fighters return to the institution and are housed in the Fire Hall or other Government provided on-site accommodation away from their regular domicile, an extra remuneration of $40.00 shall be paid to each fire fighter for each tour of Fire Watch duty.

Correctional institution salary allowance

(1) An Opted Out and Excluded Employee who is employed in a Correctional or Young Offenders Institution operated by the Department of Solicitor General, and who functions in a capacity other than that of a Correction Officer or a Correctional Services Worker, shall qualify for a Correctional Institution Salary Allowance, provided that by reason of duties being performed, the Opted Out and Excluded Employee is assigned responsibility for the custody and supervision of inmates or young offenders, or comes into contact with inmates or young offenders resulting in exposure to immediate hazards of physical injury by assault and other disagreeable conditions.

(2) The daily allowance to which an Opted Out and Excluded Employee may be entitled will be determined in accordance with the following schedule, depending on the frequency and nature of the Opted Out and Excluded Employee's contact with inmates or young offenders and the nature of the correctional environment as outlined in 58.2(3).

Correctional environment and daily allowance

(3) For the purpose of this Section the following definitions will apply:

(a) "Continual Interaction" – refers to a situation in which an Opted Out and Excluded Employee is required to work with inmates or young offenders for more than one-half of the working day.

(b) "Frequent Interaction" – refers to a situation in which an Opted Out and Excluded Employee is required to work with inmates or young offenders for less than one-half of the working day.

(c) "Limited Contact" – refers to a situation in which an Opted Out and Excluded Employee comes into contact with inmates or young offenders on an occasional basis.

About this directive