Workers in the community services sector can now take their long service leave entitlements with them when they change jobs within the industry.
The SA Portable Long Service Leave – Community Services (SAPLSL) scheme was enshrined in state legislation late last year, with employers able to register for the plan from 1 October.
A similar scheme has operated within the state’s construction industry for decades, but this is the first time such a program has applied to the community services sector.
SAPLSL Senior Community Engagement Officer Aaron Glossop said the scheme recognised the essential contribution of the community services workforce, which supported some of the most vulnerable people in the community, including children, people with disability and those experiencing hardship or crisis.
Mr Glossop said the scheme acknowledged the fact that the sector was made up of a highly mobile workforce where contracts often dictated short-term roles.
He said that while workers may move between organisations, they continued to deliver the same critical work.
"The workforce is highly mobile, with many workers moving between organisations because of contracts and funding cycles," Mr Glossop said.
"Portable long service leave recognises that even if a worker changes employers, their service still matters."
Mr Glossop, who has been travelling regional South Australia to explain the scheme to country workers and employers, said he believed the scheme would also help the sector retain its workforce.
He said the response from workers he had spoken with had been overwhelmingly positive.
"And from an employer perspective there’s recognition that this will not only be good for retention but also as a way of keeping that accumulated knowledge within the sector itself," Mr Glossop said.
"The goal is to provide fair, simple access to long service leave - something many in this sector would not otherwise receive. It’s about valuing the work, not just the workplace.
"For workers, it’s long-awaited recognition that your service matters, regardless of who your employer is. For the sector more broadly, it’s a step toward retaining experience, building stability and encouraging people to stay in the work they’re skilled at and passionate about."
From 1 October, all employers within the sector are required to register and begin paying a 2.2 per cent levy for all eligible workers, which will be administered by the scheme.
For more information about the scheme go to saplsl-community.org.au
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