PERSONNEL REDUCTION In the event of a personnel reduction, the employee with the least seniority shall be laid off first. Time in the Fire Department shall be given the utmost consideration. No new employee shall be hired until the laid-off employee has been given the opportunity to return to work, nor shall the position be replaced by a volunteer. (Excepted are conflicting provisions of contracts to serve surrounding communities.)
Approach All investments are to be made using the value approach by investing in companies at prices below their underlying long term values to protect capital from loss and earn income over time and provide operating income as needed. With regard to equities, no attempt is made to forecast the economy or the stock market. The manager will attempt to identify financially sound companies with good potential profitability which are selling at large discounts to their intrinsic value. Appropriate measures of low prices may consist of some or all of the following characteristics: low price earnings ratios, high dividend yields, significant discounts to book value, and free cash flow. Downside protection is obtained by seeking a margin of safety in terms of a sound financial position and a low price in relation to intrinsic value. Appropriate measures of financial integrity which are regularly monitored, include debt/equity ratios, financial leverage, asset turnover, profit margin, return on equity, and interest coverage. As a result of this bargain hunting approach, it is anticipated that purchases will be made when economic and issue-specific conditions are less than ideal and sentiment is uncertain or negative. Conversely, it is expected that gains will be realized when issue-specific factors are positive and sentiment is buoyant. The investment time horizon is one business cycle (approximately 3-5 years). As regards bonds, the approach is similar. No attempt is made to forecast the economy or interest rates. The manager will attempt to purchase attractively priced bonds offering yields better than Treasury bonds with maturities of 10 years or less that are of sound quality i.e. whose obligations are expected to be fully met as they come due. We do not regard rating services as being an unimpeachable source for assessing credit quality any more than we would regard a broker's recommendation on a stock as being necessarily correct. In any form of investment research and evaluation, there is no substitute for the reasoned judgement of the investment committee and its managers.
EMPLOYEE EVALUATION 14.1 The purpose of employee evaluation is to support decisions concerning employee discipline, promotion and improvement. Evaluation shall be the responsibility of the immediate supervisor who shall not be a member of the bargaining unit.
Salary Sacrifice Employees may sacrifice their pre-tax earnings, subject to such arrangements being made for legitimate purposes such as additional superannuation contributions. The amount of salary sacrifice being deducted from pre-tax earnings shall be deducted from gross earnings with each pay period. Any such arrangements must be requested, varied or amended in writing, providing no les than one months notice to the Company. A Salary Sacrifice Request Form is attached as a schedule to this Agreement for this purpose. The Company recommends that employees seek independent financial advice prior to entering into salary sacrifice arrangement. The amount of any salary sacrifice income requested must be a fixed sum, without variation from one pay period to the next. The company shall implement employee requests to commence salary sacrifice arrangements at four (4) times a year, on the first full pay period on or after the 1st July, 1st October, 1st January and 1st April. Where adverse tax and/or superannuation changes occur, the Company or employee may terminate these salary sacrifice arrangements. Where a decision to terminate is made, employees will be given one month’s notice in writing.
