Mr. John Arkins:

Basically, there is not one but two now in the industry that are illegal. If the Deputy looks at appendix 8 of our submission, we cite from the agreement, which, in respect of the guaranteed week, states:

A The Production Company may schedule the production over any 5 or 6 consecutive days out of 7 according to the logistics of the production, which will be advised to the authorised union representative during pre-production.

B. The guaranteed working week [will] be: a five day working week or a six day working week, or a combination of both, conditional on:i. Payment, in all cases, must reflect the days worked

ii. The combination will not be manipulated and used so as to avoid payment of a Public Holiday.

Where the members contracted start or finish on a week that is a full week, then the pay will exceed the guaranteed day hours of work. The latter states:

The working day shall be ten hours, excluding lunch, calculated from unit call to unit wrap.

... Alternatively the Production Company may choose to operate an eleven hour day, excluding lunch. In this event all other contingent conditions will be adjusted accordingly, whether expressly stated in this agreement...

... The start time for the day [will be from 7 a.m. until 12 noon]. An overtime rate of time and a half will apply for hours worked before scheduled start time and after scheduled finishing time...

That means someone can work a 66-hour, six-day week before getting an hour of overtime. That is what is happening in our workplace today.