Your Energy Career Comes with Leave You Might Not Know About

Author: LeavePlus

If you work in the energy sector or are planning to, you’re probably focused on the job, the training, and the pay. But there’s another important part of your working life you need to consider — long service leave.

In most industries, you need to stay with one employer for 7 years to be entitled to long service leave. And if you don’t accrue 7 years, you lose it when you change jobs.

In the construction industry, it’s different. Because construction workers frequently move from employer to employer, a portable long service leave scheme was set up in Victoria in 1976 to ensure workers can take an extended break.

If your work is covered by Victoria’s portable long service leave scheme, your service keeps building no matter how many employers you’ve worked for.

Once you reach 7 years of continuous service, you will have earned and can claim a benefit of 9.1 weeks of paid long service leave and take a well-earned break. Your benefit will continue to grow as your service in the construction industry continues.

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Why portable long service leave is important

Just started out in the energy sector? You may not be too worried about long service leave. But if you started working as an apprentice at 16, you could be eligible for long service leave by the time you’re 23! For many energy workers, that’s a significant period of paid time off, so it’s worth planning ahead.

Energy work is physically and mentally demanding. An extended break gives you time to properly rest and recover, not just recharge over a long weekend. Long service leave is also a great time to reconnect with family and friends, deal with things that get pushed aside during busy project cycles and return to work with fresh energy.

A long service leave benefit helps you:

• Recover physically and mentally
• Spend time with loved ones
• Return to work safer and more focused
• Take care of things that fall by the wayside during busy project cycles

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How portable long service leave works

LeavePlus (formerly trading as CoINVEST) is the administrator and regulator of the portable long service leave scheme for Victoria’s construction industry. Employers that engage workers to perform work covered by the scheme for more than 5 days in any calendar month must be registered.

Every quarter, employers are required to report their workers’ service, including paid leave, sick leave, trade school (for apprentices), and WorkCover days.

Employers must then pay long service leave charges (2.7%) on the ordinary pay of their workers (not apprentices). These charges go into a Fund. The Fund is what pays workers their portable long service leave entitlement when they’re eligible.

LeavePlus acts as the guardian of each worker’s long service leave entitlement by:

• Recording service of workers across all employers
• Holding worker entitlements securely
• Ensuring worker entitlements move with workers when they change employers
• Paying benefits when workers are ready to claim

When you have built up 7 years of continuous service, you can claim your benefit (or a portion of your benefit) and take an extended break.

What if you’re a working-subcontractor?

If you’re a working sub‑contractor, you may also be covered by the portable long service leave scheme. If your work as a subcontractor is covered, you will need to register with LeavePlus and can choose to pay your own long service leave charges, which will grow over time with interest. This helps you build your service record over time.

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Who’s covered in the energy sector?

The scheme doesn’t cover the entire construction industry. It depends on the type of work performed. Based on the official Rules of the Scheme, workers are likely covered if they carry out work such as:

Energy infrastructure:

• Building, installing, repairing, or maintaining structures that generate, supply, or transmit electric power
• Work on pipelines, cooling towers, storage tanks, or gas mains

Electrical work:

• Installing, repairing, or maintaining electrical systems
• Wiring, fault finding, or working on switchboards, fibre optics, or instrumentation

Linework:

• Installing or maintaining overhead conductors
• Working as a linesperson or lines assistant

Construction and installation on energy projects:

• Concrete work
• Steel and structural work
• Heavy engineering or precast concrete construction

High-voltage transmission work:

• Erecting electric transmission towers and related structures

Industrial instrumentation:

• Installing or maintaining equipment used to measure or control energy systems

Testing work linked to construction:

• Non-destructive testing
• Concrete testing

Find out if the work you perform is covered by the scheme.

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How to keep track of your service

If the work you do is covered by the scheme, employers are required to report your service by submitting quarterly returns. If your service has been included in an employer’s quarterly return, LeavePlus will send you an email to notify you. You can then set up access to the LeavePlus portal to keep track of your service.

If your service or part of your service doesn’t appear in your service record, speak with your employer first. In most cases, it’s a simple mistake and can be fixed quickly. If you believe your employer is not reporting your service, you can lodge a Missing Service query through the LeavePlus portal. We will look into it and make sure your service record is correct.

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Plan for an extended break

When it comes to long service leave, it’s worth knowing where you stand. You’ve earned your leave — don’t miss out on it. For more information, visit leaveplus.com.au.