Leave

• The following information relates to the most commonly used types of Leave. For further information on leave conditions, please refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement or contact the Office of People and Culture.
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• Personal Leave
• Parental Leave
• Leave Without Pay
• Long Service Leave
• Emergency Service Call-out
• Christmas Closedown
• NSW Public Holidays
• Religous Holidays

Annual Leave

How much Annual Leave do I have?
Your annual leave balance is available via Staff Online. If you have an enquiry concerning your balance, you should contact your HR Officer in Staffing Services. If you receive paper based payslips because you are unable to access Staff OnLine, annual leave balances will appear on your payslip.

How do I apply for leave?
Before you proceed on annual leave, you must complete a leave application and obtain the approval of your supervisor (either online or via paper - see below).

You must use Staff Online to request leave when:

• The leave is for whole days
• The period of leave is of a single type
• You have access to a computer

When you request annual leave using Staff Online your supervisor will be notified by Staff Online that an application requires approval - go to Staff Online to learn more about booking leave.

You must submit a paper leave application if:

• you are applying for part-day annual leave
• one period of absence is made up of two or more types of leave (e.g., Annual and Long Service Leave)
• you have been identified as a non-Staff OnLine user.

When you request annual leave on a paper leave application form, you must get your supervisor to approve the leave form prior to forwarding to HR Client Services.

During each calendar year, you must take annual leave of at least three weeks in any approved pattern unless you have insufficient paid leave available.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

What do I need to do if I want to receive my pay in advance when I go on annual leave?
When you complete a leave application for annual leave you must indicate that you wish to have your pay paid to you in advance. You can only receive your pay in advance if you are absent for a complete pay period. Your leave application must be booked, approved and submitted to HR Client Services at least four weeks prior to the start of your leave to ensure payment in advance.

How much annual leave can I accrue?
Only in special circumstances, and with the written approval of the University, can you accrue more than 8 weeks annual leave.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

What happens to my annual leave on resignation?
If you resign, you will entitled to be paid the value of your accrued annual leave as at your last day.

When do I get paid my annual leave loading?
You will receive your annual leave loading in the first pay period in December.

Sick Leave

What am I entitled to?
You will accrue paid sick leave on a daily basis at the rate of 15 days per year. Untaken sick leave will accrue from year to year.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

If you are a casual employee, you are paid a loading in lieu of sick leave entitlements and are therefore not entitled to paid sick leave.

When do I need to provide a medical certificate?
A medical certificate must be provided if:

• you are absent in your first three months of service with UWS, or
• you have been absent for more than three consecutive working days.

If you are absent on more than five occasions in any 12 month period without a medical certificate, the University may notify you that you must produce a medical certificate for all sick leave absences for a period of 12 months from the date of notification, (An 'occasion' is one absence regardless of duration, i.e. a ½ day, one day, five days).

You must also provide a medical certificate if you are sick for five or more working days of your annual or long service leave, for that leave to be recredited and the sick period taken from your sick leave entitlement (please refer to the UWS Enterprise Agreements for full details).

You are now required to use Staff Online for whole day sick leave absences. Your supervisor will approve the application for sick leave through Staff Online.

• If you use Staff Online and you have a medical certificate you must print your name and employee number on the top of the certificate and give it to your supervisor who must forward them to the relevant HR Officer in Staffing Services in a sealed envelope.
• If you are not a Staff Online user, your supervisor will approve your sick leave in the same way as annual leave and any medical certificates must be attached to the leave application form.

Personal Leave

What is Personal Leave?
Personal leave is available:

• to meet family, cultural, religious or special needs;
• to care for a dependant or a member of your immediate family;
• on account of the death of a member of your immediate family.

You are entitled, as an ongoing or fixed term employee, to take up to six days paid leave in any 12 month period and you may also use up to a maximum of five days of your sick leave in any 12 month period as Personal leave.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

For information on Cultural and Festival days, as well as guidelines for addressing Cultural issues and events, visit the Equity and Diversity website

Parental Leave

What Maternity leave is available?
If you are a female staff member (including casual staff) and you become pregnant, you are entitled to up to 52 weeks maternity leave.

If you are an ongoing employee, or a fixed term employee, who has completed at least one year of continuous paid service prior to the commencement of maternity leave, you will be entitled to be paid for up to 20 weeks at your normal base rate of pay or 40 weeks at half pay.

If you are an ongoing employee, or a fixed term employee, who has less than one year of continuous paid service prior to the commencement of maternity leave, you will be entitled to a pro-rata of 20 weeks paid maternity leave.

What flexibility is available on return to work after Maternity leave?
If you are entitled to paid maternity leave, and you return to work full-time or on the same part-time arrangement as you were working prior to taking leave within 12 months of commencing the maternity leave, you will be entitled to a phased return to work. This means you can reduce your hours, without loss of pay, in the 30 weeks following your return to work either:

• Up to one day per week
• Pro-rata if employed part-time.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

A Maternity Leave Replacement Fund provides a central payment of staff replacement costs to the area where staff proceed on Maternity Leave. It is the Fund, not your work area, which funds Maternity leave regardless of where in the University you are employed. Further information can be obtained by visiting the Equity and Diversity website.

Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme (PPLS)
The Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme (PPLS) will be implemented from 1 January, 2011 and employees are now able to lodge PPLS claims with the Family Assistance Office (FAO).

Paid Parental Leave Scheme:

• cannot commence before the child’s birth or adoption date;
• is for a maximum of 18 weeks;
• must be taken as one block;
• must be taken within 12 months from the birth or adoption date;
• is paid at the Federal minimum wage level;
• can be taken in conjunction with, or in addition, to employer-provided paid leave such as recreation leave, employer-provided maternity leave and partner leave;
• can in part, be transferred to another eligible person, usually the partner;

An eligible employee will not be able to work but can utilise 'Keeping in touch' days to a maximum of 10 days during PPL or across the whole unpaid leave period in accordance with the National Employment Standards under the Fair Work Act. Work undertaken will count as service and will attract the usual employment provisions including pay, superannuation and leave accrual.

To be eligible for PPL an employee must:

• be the primary carer of a child born or adopted on or after 1/1/2011;
• be in paid work continuously for at least 10 out of the 13 months prior to the birth or adoption of the child;
• have worked at least 330 hours in the 10 month period (an average of around one day of paid work per week);
• not have worked between the date of birth or adoption and their nominated start date for PPL; and
• have an adjusted taxable income of $150,000 or less in the financial year prior to the date of birth or adoption or the date of their claim, whichever is earlier (combined family income).

UWS casual staff may be eligible to receive PPL if they meet the PPLS criteria.

Payment through the UWS payroll system
While the Federal Government will determine eligibility and fund the PPLS, UWS as the employer will only be required to make PPLS payments to eligible employees who:

• have been an employee of UWS for 12 months or more prior to the expected date of birth or adoption, and
• will be an employee of UWS for the Paid Parental Leave period, and
• qualify as an Australian-based employee, and
• who are entitled to receive eight weeks or more of Parental Leave pay.

Otherwise, the Family Assistance Office will pay the PPL payment directly to the eligible employee.

Further information regarding the PPL scheme and applications must be made directly to the FAO (www.familyassist.gov.au). UWS is unable to provide specific advice of a financial or determinative nature in relation to the PPL scheme.

Leave Without Pay

Under what circumstances could I take Leave Without Pay?
Leave without pay, on a full-time or part-time basis, may be approved by the University for a period of up to one year. Appropriate reasons for taking leave without pay are detailed within the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.

It should be noted that other forms of leave (such as annual leave, sick, long service) might not accrue during a grant of leave without pay. Leave without pay may also affect increment dates and superannuation entitlements.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for further details.

How do I apply for leave without pay?
Applications must be made using the Leave Application form, detailing the duration of the absence and the reason for the request. Submit the form to your supervisor for approval.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for further details.

Long Service Leave

What am I entitled to?
After 10 years continuous service, you are entitled to three months long service leave at your base rate of pay or six months leave at half your base rate of pay.

After 15 years of continuous service, you are entitled to 4.5 months leave at your base rate of pay.

If you have completed between 5 and 10 years of service you are entitled to a proportionate payment for long service leave in the following circumstances:

• when an employee dies
• when the employer terminates the employment for any reason other than serious and wilful misconduct, e.g., medical retirement or redundancy
• when the employee terminates the employment for reasons of illness, incapacity, or domestic or other pressing necessity.

Recognition of prior service

Service with UWS as an ongoing or fixed-term employee, without a break of more than two months on any single occasion, is recognised as prior service.

Part-time and full-time service at other Australian higher education institutions may be recognised, only if the break between service is less than two months. For full details refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.

How do I apply for Long Service Leave?
You must complete a Leave Application Form, and submit to your supervisor. Leave may be taken at your choosing, provided that a minimum of six months' written notice is given.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

Emergencies Service Call-out

Am I entitled to Emergency Services Call-out leave?
If you are a member of a voluntary Emergency Services organisation which is an accredited organisation defined within the State Emergency and Management Act 1989, you may be granted paid leave during an emergency declared by authority of the State Emergency Services Act 1989.

Reasonable paid leave may also be granted to undertake training required by the accredited organisation.

To be eligible for paid leave you must provide your supervisor with evidence of your membership of the accredited organisation.

When is Emergency Services Call-out leave taken?
When an emergency is declared by authority of the State Emergency Services Act 1989, and you have been called to attend the emergency, you must inform your supervisor of your absence as soon as possible.

Refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement for full details.

Christmas Closedown

During the Christmas/New Year closedown period, staff members are generally granted three days leave on full pay in addition to the designated public holidays. Staff members may either take Annual Leave or Flexi Leave for the remaining days of the closedown.

Staff will be advised each year of the approved closedown dates.

NSW Public Holidays

Public Holidays for New South Wales are promulgated by the New South Wales Government. Full details can be found on the NSW Department of Industrial Relations website.

Also refer to the relevant UWS Enterprise Agreement.

Religious Holidays

Religious Holidays for New South Wales are promulgated by the New South Wales Premier's Office. Full details can be found on the Premier's Office website.