PROCEDURE REGARDING LEAVE REGULATIONS FOR PERMANENT STAFF

Transcription

1 1 of 10 PROCEDURE REGARDING LEAVE REGULATIONS FOR PERMANENT STAFF 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1.1 The prescribed procedures must be followed for all leave applications. 1.2 Members of staff may take half their annual leave in advance within a particular cycle. 1.3 The approval of leave (excluding compassionate leave, sick leave and maternity leave) is subject to the requirement that such leave must fit in with the University s activities. 1.4 If a member of staff applies for permission to take the non-accumulative portion of their annual leave, the University must grant such leave within twelve (12) months after the end of the leave cycle concerned (Basic Conditions of Employment Act, section 20(4)). 1.5 Sick leave, maternity leave, unpaid leave and leave to continue service elsewhere shall be granted as calendar days. All days from the beginning of the period of leave to the end thereof shall be counted, including weekends, public holidays and recess times.

2 2 of Annual leave, study and research opportunities, compassionate leave and leave of absence shall be granted as working days. Weekends and public holidays shall not be counted. Weekdays that occur during recess periods shall be counted, unless they fall on public holidays or within the period between Christmas Day and New Year s Day. 1.7 Leave cycles commence on the date of appointment. Each subsequent leave cycle shall begin on the corresponding day of the following year. 1.8 Definitions Year: a period extending from one day of the year up to and including the day preceding the corresponding day of the next year. A year shall be deemed to consist of two hundred and fifty (250) working days Calendar year: a period extending from 1 January of a year up to and including 31 December of the same year. A calendar year shall be deemed to consist of two hundred and fifty (250) working days Month: a period extending from one day of the month up to and including the day preceding the numerically corresponding day of the next month Permanent appointment: an appointment that participates in the University s benefits, as determined by Council, from the date of commencement of service Fixed appointment: an appointment that has been confirmed after the successful completion of the appropriate period of probation prescribed for permanent appointments. 2. ANNUAL LEAVE AND ACCUMULATIVE LEAVE 2.1 All permanent staff of the University shall be entitled to a number of working days annual leave, as shown in Table 1, provided that: a staff member s leave credit in a particular leave cycle shall accrue pro-rata with the passage of time to the maximum at the end of the cycle; and

3 3 of A specified number of working days may be accumulated per year as shown in Table 1, up to a maximum of two hundred and twenty (220) days. This leave is known as accumulated leave. Post level TABLE 1 Appointments before 31 December 2007 Annual leave per annum (working days) Portion that can be accumulated per year (workdays) Appointments from 1 January 2008 Annual leave per annum (working days) Portion that can be accumulated per year (workdays) Annual leave must be taken within twelve (12) months after the end of the relevant leave year. Annual leave that is not taken, shall lapse. 2.3 Annual leave may be taken in full working days or half working days. 2.4 The University shall not allocate funds for substitution for members of staff taking annual leave. 2.5 Staff members can apply to pay out the accumulated leave portion. 2.6 On voluntary termination of service, unused annual leave shall be paid out. 3. STUDY OPPORTUNITIES 3.1 Staff members may be granted opportunity for study of a maximum of twenty-four (24) working days per annum, continuous or intermittent, for the purpose of better qualifying themselves for their work, with the provision that: the staff member shall register for a course/instructional programme deemed to be in the University s interests;

4 4 of two (2) days concession per examination session may be granted to enable the staff member to take the examinations; and at the time of the granting of a study opportunity, the criterion for satisfactory progress shall be agreed, and that: if the staff member s progress in the course/instructional programme is satisfactory, the study opportunity shall not be debited against his annual and/or accumulated leave; and if the staff member s progress in the course/instructional programme is not satisfactory, the study opportunity shall be debited in full against his annual and/or accumulated leave; and, where an opportunity for study is taken intermittently: the amount of time for the staff member s attendance of lectures, tutorials and practicals shall be based on the continuous prescribed time in the class or laboratory (including breaks between classes) plus twenty (20) minutes; the amount of time traveled by the staff member to attend classes outside Stellenbosch shall be debited in full against his annual leave; and the weekly total of lectures attended by the staff member during working hours shall not exceed three (3). 3.2 A study opportunity for a period of one (1) year may be granted not more than once to any staff member whom the University requires to hold a certain qualification 1 with the provision that: the staff member must hold a permanent appointment and have been in the University s service for not less than two (2) years; the staff member must have been performing well in his work; 1 This refers primarily to lecturing staff who are required by the University to hold doctorates.

5 5 of the staff member shall remain in the University s service for not less than two (2) years after the expiration of the study opportunity; and annual leave for one year (250 working days) and any opportunity for study and/or research to the staff member s credit shall be regarded as leave granted. It is further provided that, if the period of the study opportunity overlaps with more than one of the staff member s annual leave cycles, the 250 working days leave shall be debited pro-rata against the two leave cycles. 4. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES 4.1 Any staff member having a research brief may be granted a research opportunity of up to thirty (30) working days for each year of uninterrupted service with the provision that: a maximum of 250 working days may be granted; and the staff member shall be granted a research opportunity only if he has performed satisfactorily as a researcher in the preceding three to five years in terms of the requirements of the faculty concerned, as approved by the Executive Committee of Senate. 4.2 In exceptional cases, in addition to the normal allocation referred to in 4.1, of a further allocation of a special opportunity for research of up to thirty (30) days per annum may be granted to a staff member whose research performance has been excellent. The further allocation must, on the recommendation of both the departmental chair and the dean concerned, be approved by the Senior Director: Research and Innovation after the latter has satisfied himself/herself as to the merits of the staff member and if he/she deems the allocation to be in the interests of the University. 4.3 A research opportunity must be taken in blocks of duration of not less than one (1) month each. The duration shall in each instance be chosen so as best to serve the University s interests.

6 6 of Staff members who have been granted an opportunity for research shall after the expiration thereof remain in the University s service for not less than the corresponding period. If service is terminated earlier, a pro-rata portion of the research opportunity shall be debited against annual leave or unpaid leave. 5. SICK LEAVE 5.1 Upon submission of a medical certificate (or certificates) acceptable to the Council, a member of staff may, during each of his consecutive three-year periods of service, be granted sick leave for a period of up to eight months (or periods amounting to eight months in all) at full salary for the first four months and at half salary for the rest of the period. 5.2 For the purpose of determining the duration of sick leave a month shall, in cases of doubt, be deemed to consist of thirty days. 5.3 Sick leave shall not be accumulated. 5.4 Applications for sick leave for periods of longer than two (2) calendar days shall be accompanied by an acceptable medical certificate clearly specifying the nature of the indisposition. 6. MATERNITY LEAVE 6.1 A female staff member appointed on a permanent basis is entitled to three (3) months maternity leave at full salary or four (4) months at 75% of salary per pregnancy or per adoption of a child up to six months, provided that: a maximum of nine (9) months at full Cost to Company or twelve (12) months at 75% of Cost to Company, or an equivalent combination will be granted on the above condition to any one staff member for all pregnancies and with the further provision that additional maternity leave shall be granted strictly in accordance with the requirements of law;

7 7 of maternity leave at 75% of Cost to Company may be supplemented with a loan of 25% of Cost to Company, which shall be converted into a gratuity if the staff member remains in the University s service for a period of at least 12 months after the end of such maternity leave; and the University may, in the interests of the smooth running of affairs and in consultation with the staff member, require her maternity leave to commence up to one (1) month before the expected date of confinement. 6.2 A staff member shall not resume work within the first six (6) weeks after the birth of her child, unless a medical doctor certifies that she is sufficiently fit to start work earlier. 6.3 In respect of the period after the end of her maternity leave that a staff member prefer not to resume work, she may, on the recommendation of her departmental chair / head of division, be offered the choice of taking: her available annual leave or accumulative leave; or unpaid leave. 6.4 A medical certificate issued by a medical doctor must accompany notice of maternity leave and must indicate the expected date of confinement. Such notice shall be given at least four (4) weeks prior to the commencement of leave, or as soon as reasonably possible. 6.5 A staff member who has a miscarriage during the last three (3) months of pregnancy or who gives birth to a stillborn child shall be entitled to maternity leave for up to six (6) weeks after the miscarriage or stillbirth, whether or not the staff member was on maternity leave at the time of the miscarriage or stillbirth. 7. COMPASSIONATE LEAVE (On this matter, see also the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, section 27.) 7.1 Staff members shall be eligible for fully paid compassionate leave of:

8 8 of 10 i) three (3) working days per annum and ii) an additional fourteen (14) working days in every cycle of three (3) years Compassionate leave shall not be accumulated. 7.3 Compassionate leave shall be granted for part of a day, or for one (1) or more full days: when a staff member s child is born; when a staff member s child is ill (according to Act a child under the age of 18 is considered a dependant) at most 3 working days (medical certificate required) in the case of serious illness of a staff member s spouse or partner at most three (3) working days (medical certificate required certifying the seriousness of the illness that the presence of the employee is required at the bed) in the case of the death of a staff member s spouse or partner five (5) working days the death of a staff member s parent (including parent in law), adoptive parent, grandparent, child, adopted child (regardless of the marital status), grandchild, brother or sister three (3) working days. 7.4 The University may require reasonable proof of an event before a staff member is paid for compassionate leave. 8. LEAVE OF ABSENCE 8.1 Leave of absence up to a maximum period of fifteen (15) working days per occasion may be granted to a staff member for the attendance of meetings, conferences or other gatherings if the staff member s attendance thereof is deemed to be in the University s interest working days in a cycle of three years.

9 9 of In the case of participating in national sport, international sport as well as University sport fifteen (15) days at most per occasion. 8.3 Moving house one (1) working day per occasion. 8.4 Attending court cases where an employee is summoned to act as WITNESS actual amount of days required (copy of summons to be submitted as proof) 8.5 Leave of absence may be granted for longer provided that where the number of working days involved exceeds the prescribed limit or if certain activities which the staff member proposes to engage in do not qualify him for leave of absence, then the number of days on which the staff member proposes to engage in such other activities shall be debited against annual leave or accumulative leave. 9. CONTINUATION OF SERVICE ELSEWHERE 9.1 In exceptional cases the Council may grant a staff member leave to continue his service elsewhere. 10. UNPAID LEAVE 10.1 Council may, in special cases, grant a member of staff unpaid leave, on such conditions as it may specify Staff members who are making use of the benefit will have to stay 25 % of the leave term in the service of the University All annual leave must first be taken before a staff member can utilise this benefit. 11. PRESENCE AT PLACE OF WORK 11.1 All staff members who are not on leave in terms of these rules, or engaged in a study or research opportunity in terms of these rules, shall be required during working days to be on the University premises and at the places of work officially assigned to them.

10 10 of Any staff members whose official duties require them to work elsewhere than at their normal places of work shall make satisfactory arrangements as to their whereabouts with their respective area heads/deans or with the latter s deputies Area heads/deans may give a staff member permission to attend an officially recognized meeting or gathering in the vicinity of Stellenbosch, provided that: i) the activities involved in such meeting or gathering shall be related to the staff member s work; and ii) the head concerned shall have been informed of the staff member s whereabouts for the purpose of such meeting or gathering. AB0006-Procedure Regarding Leave Regulations for Permanent Staff (October 2012)