Salary Packaging (1) For the purposes of this Agreement, salary packaging shall mean an arrangement whereby the wage or salary benefit arising under a contract of employment is reduced, with another or other benefits to the value of the replaced salary being substituted and due to the practitioner.
(2) A practitioner may, by agreement with the employer, enter into a salary packaging arrangement.
(3) The employer shall not unreasonably withhold agreement to salary packaging on request from a practitioner.
(4) The employer shall not require a practitioner to enter into a salary packaging arrangement, provided that this clause will not impinge on any additional employer provided benefits.
(5) A salary packaging arrangement shall be formulated and operate on the basis that, on balance, there shall be no material disadvantage to the practitioner concerned, and shall be cost neutral in relation to the total employment cost to the employer.
(6) A salary packaging arrangement must comply with relevant taxation laws and the employer shall not be liable for additional tax, penalties or other costs payable or which may become payable by the practitioner.
(7) In the event of any increase or additional payments of tax or penalties associated with the employment of the practitioner, or the provision of employer benefits under the salary packaging agreement, such tax, penalties and any other costs shall be borne by the practitioner.
(8) A practitioner may elect to cancel any salary packaging arrangement by giving a minimum of four weeks notice.
(9) The employer may elect to cancel any salary packaging arrangement by giving a minimum of four weeks notice if the employer incurs a liability to pay fringe benefits tax or any other tax in respect of the non-cash benefits provided, provided that the employer cannot retrospectively cancel any salary packaging arrangement.
(10) Notwithstanding subclauses (8) and (9) of this clause, the employer and the Practitioner may agree to forgo the notice period.
(11) The cancellation of salary packaging will not cancel or otherwise effect the operation of this Agreement.
(12) For the purposes of this provision, any penalty rate, loading or other salary related allowances which would ordinarily be calculated on the basis of the salary rates expressed in Schedule 1 Full Time Annual Base Salary Rates shall continue to be so calculated despite an election to participate in any salary packaging arrangement.
(13) For the purposes of this provision, statutory 9% employer superannuation contributions shall be made on the basis of pre-packaging salary rates. To avoid doubt, employer contributions shall not be reduced as a result of a practitioner participating in salary packaging pursuant to this provision.
(14) The employer may at any time vary the range of benefits provided or the conditions under which benefits are provided however the employer shall not differentiate between different class of practitioners across WA Health in terms or range of benefits or the conditions under which benefits are provided.
(15) If a practitioner is found to have committed misconduct in the claiming a salary packaging benefit the employer is entitled to prospectively cease to provide some or all salary packing benefits either indefinitely or for any period determined by the employer.
Superannuation fund Unless, to comply with superannuation legislation, the employer is required to make the superannuation contributions provided for in Clause 24(b) to another superannuation fund that is chosen by the employee, the employer must make the superannuation contributions provided for in Clause 24(b) and pay the amount authorised under Clauses 24(d)(i) or 24(d)(ii) to one of the following superannuation funds:
(i) Health Employees Superannuation Trust of Australia (HESTA);
(ii) any superannuation fund to which the employer was making superannuation contributions for the benefit of its employees before 12 September 2008, provided the superannuation fund is an eligible choice fund and is a fund that offers a MySuper product or is an exempt public sector scheme.
Superannuation 13.1 The Employer shall contribute, on behalf of the Employee, superannuation to a fund that will be nominated by the Employer, in accordance with the requirements of the relevant, prevailing superannuation legislation.
SALARY SACRIFICE ARRANGEMENTS 34.1 Employees covered by this Agreement will have access to salary sacrifice arrangements in addition to the compulsory arrangement detailed above. The requirements of any such arrangements shall ensure that:
(a) Accessing a salary sacrifice arrangement is a voluntary decision to be made by the individual Employee.
(b) An Employee wishing to enter into a salary sacrifice arrangement will be required to notify their Employer in writing of the intention to do so and have sought expert advice in relation to entering into such an arrangement.
(c) The Employer shall meet the cost of implementing the administrative and payroll arrangements necessary for the introduction of salary sacrifice to the Employees under the Agreement.
(d) The co-contribution of superannuation payments referred to herein shall be made by way of salary sacrifice arrangements.
Flexible Spending Accounts Employees in the unit shall have access to the County’s flexible spending account program, which provides employees with the options of dependent care assistance benefits with a calendar year maximum of $5,000, and medical expense reimbursement benefits with a calendar year maximum of $2,400. The County shall maintain this plan in compliance with IRC §125. Employee premiums for flexible spending account benefits shall be deducted on a pre-tax basis from employee pay.
Flexible Spending Account The parties agree that the State shall have the right to use State Employee Health Plan funds to cover the administrative costs of operating the medical and dependent care flexible spending account programs.
Health and Welfare Fund Pursuant to provisions contained in a pre vious Collective Bargaining Agreement, there has been established a Health and Welfare Fund known as the “ Retail Meat Cutter Unions and Employers Joint Health and Welfare Fund For The Chicago Area” ; said Fund is hereinafter referred to as the “ Health and Welfare Fund.”
Health Care Spending Account After six (6) months of permanent employment, full time and part time (20/40 or greater) employees may elect to participate in a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) Program designed to qualify for tax savings under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, but such savings are not guaranteed. The HCSA Program allows employees to set aside a predetermined amount of money from their pay, not to exceed the maximum amount authorized by federal law, per calendar year, of before tax dollars, for health care expenses not reimbursed by any other health benefit plans. HCSA dollars may be expended on any eligible medical expenses allowed by Internal Revenue Code Section 125. Any unused balance is forfeited and cannot be recovered by the employee.
Retirement System The withdrawal of employee contributions made on or after January 1, 2014 may also be withdrawn but only on an actuarially neutral basis. The actuarial present value of the pension reduction shall be equal to the amount of accumulated member contributions withdrawn. The actuarial present value shall computed using the interest rate used in the annual actuarial valuation and the mortality table used in the annual actuarial valuation with a 50% unisex blend.
Health and Welfare Benefits applies to full-time nurses only)
