Administration and Clerical Pay Equity

DHBs and the PSA have settled the pay equity claim for Administration and Clerical Workers. The settlement was ratified on 16 May 2022 and is the outcome of 4 years work on the claim by DHBs and the PSA. It is the first settlement under the 2020 Equal Pay Amendment Act. It is an historic achievement for this workforce, often overlooked and undervalued, who play a critical role in the delivery of health services in DHBs.

The agreement covers more than 10,000 administration and clerical workers across the country’s 20 DHBs – union and non-union members. The new national pay system agreed provides a standard structure across 20 DHBs for roles that previously had more than 1500 job titles and widely variable rates.

Making an Appeal

The appeals process is intended to provide a limited one-off right of appeal on transitioning to the new national pay rate and job banding structure.

Grounds for Appeal Request

The three grounds for an appeal request are that an employee believes their role was:

1. Mapped against a national profile that is not the 'best fit' profile
2. Translated to the incorrect step in the band or pay level in the Coder pay framework
3. Mapped as out of scope of the settlement and employees believe they are in scope.

Submission of Appeal

All appeal applications forms must be submitted within 6 weeks of receiving notification of the mapping and translation outcome except in the following situations:

• If you are on leave or leave without pay when you receive notification of the mapping and translation outcome, your 6-week window will commence on the date of your return to work.

For employees who wish to make an appeal on the grounds that they believe they are in scope, the start date for the 6-week timeframe will be posted by the local District at the time that letters are being sent out.

Submissions should be made in accordance with District processes for receiving appeals.

Incomplete applications will be sent back to the employee with advice on what further information is required.

What needs to be included in an Appeal

1. Appeal on Mapped role

Appeals must include the following supporting material:

• The letter the employee(s) received advising the National Role Profile and translation
• A description of the key functions of the work the employee(s) carry out for all employees making the appeal and why it better fits another role profile. This may include position description or equivalent desk file or task list
• The National Role Profile the employee(s) believe they should be mapped to.

2. Appeal on Translation to Pay Step

Appeals must include the following supporting material:

• The letter the employee(s) received advising the National Role Profile and translation
• Evidence of time in role to support translation to a different pay step.

Note: Please read the Time in Role Guidance before making an application appealing translation to pay step.

3. Appeal on Translation to Pay Level (Clinical Coders only)

Appeals must include the following support material:

• The letter the employee(s) received advising the National Role Profile and translation
• Evidence to support translation to a different level including qualifications (or equivalent time served), training completed, meeting criteria for levels.

Note: Please read the Clinical Coder level framework (Schedule 8 of the Operational Guidelines) before making an appeal on the pay level translated to.

4. Appeals on Out of Scope

I f employees believe their role is in scope, evidence must include:

• A description of the key functions of the work the employee(s) carry out for all employees making the appeal and why it fits a role profile within the scope of the settlement. This may include position description or equivalent desk file or task list.
• The National Role Profile the employee(s) believe they should be mapped to.

Note: Please read the Continuums defining the scope of the settlement before making an out-of-scope appeal.

Resources to support appeals

The following resources have been developed by the Districts and the PSA for the appeals process.

Appeals Application

Applications for appeal should be made using the following Appeals Application Form

Note: this includes the Clinical Coder Framework (section 8)

Appeals Process

The appeals process is set out in Schedule 4 of the Administration and Clerical Pay Equity Settlement Agreement. The flowchart below is a support resource for appeals, providing a process diagram for the appeals process.