Leaves: Under what circumstances can I take a leave? Article 28 tells it all!
July 12, 2011 by Shoshana Kalfon
Although we spend much of our waking hours at work, we all have personal lives that may cause us to be absent from our positions for short or long periods of time.
What types of leaves are we entitled to, how do we go about informing our employer about our need to be absent, and how are we compensated for time away? If you would have been working on the day the leave is required, you are entitled to the leave, without loss of pay.
All full-time employees have the right to a personal leave of a maximum of 2 days - how you take them is up to you. Part-time employees can have hours "prorated" to the hours they work. These hours, unfortunately, cannot be added to your vacation (they can be added, however, to a compassionate leave). If you know that you will need some time away, you should advise your immediate supervisor two days in advance whenever possible. Unfortunately, personal time does not carry over from one year to the next and, if the allowed time is surpassed, the extra days are without pay.
There are, of course, several other types of leaves to which we are entitled. These would include: marriage, family, moving, jury/witness duty, death, emergency, compassionate, and deferred salary leave.
Should you need to be absent from work for one of the above mentioned reasons, Article 28 is the place to go to find out if the leave can be taken without loss of pay and without having to pay back the time. Know your rights and obligations! It will make your time away easier...
Shoshana Kalfon, Union Council Representative