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Sick Leave
Medical/Dental Appointments
Illness in the Family
Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave
General Leave
Educational Leave at the Request of the University
Development Leave
Deferred Salary Leave
Jury or Court Witness Leave
Special Leave
Bereavement Leave
University Committees
Full-time Union or Public Duties
Union Business
Political Activity
Exchange Leave
Christmas Floater
Compassionate Care Leave
Note: These are brief descriptions of the leaves available. For the full text of the provisions for Sick Leave and Leaves of Absence, please consult the collective agreement between the University of British Columbia and BCGEU.
Leave with pay due to illness or injury, up to the number of days in the employee’s sick leave reserve. A full-time employee accumulates sick leave at 1.25 days per month worked, to a maximum of 152 days. Part-time employees’ sick leave is pro-rated based on their percentage of employment.
If you have exhausted your sick leave reserve and you have not satisfied the six-month qualifying period for income replacement plan benefits, you should apply for an unpaid medical leave of absence and learn about your options to maintain benefits during your unpaid medical leave.
If you have been approved for a paid medical leave, please note that your current benefits will continue uninterrupted and the cost-sharing of benefits will be the same as if you were actively at work.
Reasonable time off for medical and dental appointments for employees and for dependent children is permitted where it is not possible to schedule medical and/or dental appointments outside regularly scheduled working hours. Where any such absence exceeds one hour, the additional time off shall be charged to employees’ sick leave reserve.
When an employee has an immediate family member who is ill, and no one at home other than the employee can provide for the needs of the ill person, the employee may use up to 10 days per year of accumulated sick time to care for the immediate family member (provided a minimum of 12 days is available each year for personal sick leave only).
Birth mothers are entitled to up to 17 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Further unpaid maternity leave of up to 6 consecutive weeks may be granted where the birth mother is unable to return to work for reasons related to the birth or the termination of the pregnancy, as certified by a medical practitioner.
Birth mothers may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI benefits) from Human Resources Development Canada during their unpaid maternity leave. For the purposes of EI maternity benefits, up to 15 weeks of EI benefits may be claimed by the birth mother after a 2-week waiting period is served. The mother can start collecting maternity benefits either up to 8 weeks before she is expected to give birth or at the week she gives birth. Maternity benefits can be collected within 17 weeks of the actual or expected week of birth, whichever is later.
If eligible, UBC’s Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program pays the difference between the EI benefit received from Human Resources Development Canada and 75% of salary. EI benefits are payable for up to 15 weeks and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 17 weeks (the 2-week EI benefits waiting period where it pays 75% of salary, plus 15 weeks of topping up EI to 75%).
For more information, please refer to the step-by-step guide on Preparing for a Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave.
Birth mothers are entitled to up to 35 weeks of unpaid parental leave in addition to maternity leave following the birth of a child. The maximum length of unpaid leave for a birth mother is 52 weeks (17 weeks maternity + 35 weeks parental). If a birth mother does not take unpaid maternity leave, she is entitled to 37 weeks of unpaid parental leave.
Birth fathers are entitled to up to 37 weeks of unpaid parental leave.
Further unpaid parental leave up of to 5 additional weeks may be granted where the child is certified by a medical practitioner to be suffering from a physical, psychological or emotional condition.
Birth mothers and birth fathers may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI benefits) from Human Resources Development Canada during their unpaid parental leave. If you are eligible, UBC’s Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program pays the difference between the EI benefit you receive from Human Resources Development Canada and 75% of your salary for the length of time specified below:
If EI parental benefits are claimed by the birth mother only or if shared between birth mother/father: EI and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 35 weeks (35 weeks of topping up EI to 75% of salary). The 2-week EI benefits waiting period is not required if previously satisfied by the birth mother when claiming EI maternity benefits.
If EI parental benefits are claimed by the birth father only: EI benefits are payable for up to 35 weeks and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 37 weeks (the 2-week EI benefits waiting period where it pays 75% of salary, plus 35 weeks of topping up EI to 75%).
For more information, please refer to the step-by-step guide on Preparing for a Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave.
Adopting parents are entitled to up to 37 weeks of unpaid parental leave. An adopting parent may be the same-sex partner of an adopting parent or birth mother. Further unpaid parental leave up of to 5 additional weeks may be granted where the child is certified by a medical practitioner to be suffering from a physical, psychological or emotional condition.
Adopting parents may be eligible for Employment Insurance (EI benefits) from Human Resources Development Canada during their unpaid parental leave. If eligible, UBC’s Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Program pays the difference between the EI benefit you receive from Human Resources Development Canada and 75% of salary for the length of time specified below:
If EI parental benefits are claimed by one adoptive parent only: EI benefits are payable for up to 35 weeks and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 37 weeks (the 2-week EI benefits waiting period where it pays 75% of salary, plus 35 weeks of topping up EI to 75%)
If EI parental benefits are shared between adopting parents: EI benefits are payable for up to 35 weeks and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 37 weeks (if applicable, the 2-week EI benefits waiting period where it pays 75% of salary, plus 35 weeks of topping up EI to 75%). Only one adoptive parent is required to serve the 2-week EI benefits waiting period.
If EI parental benefits are shared between the birth mother and adopting parent: EI and SEB benefits are payable for a maximum of 35 weeks (35 weeks of topping up EI to 75% of salary). The 2-week waiting period is not required if previously satisfied by the birth mother when claiming EI maternity benefits.
For more information, please refer to the step-by-step guide on Preparing for a Maternity, Parental and Adoption Leave.
Employees may request a leave of absence without pay and benefits, upon written application.
Paid leave may be granted to employees who are requested by the University to attend a course in connection with their employment.
Up to a maximum of 20 working days in each fiscal year without pay and benefits upon approval by the University in order to assist employees in maintaining and improving knowledge and skills relative to the employee’s responsibilities or to their career development at the University.
Employees may defer a portion of their salary, up to a maximum of 33% in order to finance an extended leave of absence of up to one year.
Employees are eligible for a paid leave of absence when they are required by law to serve as jurors or witnesses in any court.
Employees are entitled to up to three days of paid special leave in a calendar year for any or all of the circumstances listed below:
a) birth or adoption of the employee’s child;
b) serious household or domestic emergency;
c) attendance at the employee’s own citizenship hearing;
d) court appearance of the employee’s child;
e) wedding of the employee’s child;
f) moving of household furniture and effects (maximum of one day for each move).
Employees will be granted up to five days of paid leave for the loss of an immediate family member. As well, employees may have one day’s leave without a deduction in pay to attend a funeral of other friends or relations, on application to their department head.
Employees may have leave with pay to attend meetings of a University committee to which they have been elected or appointed.
Leave without pay for a period of up to four years is available for any employee who is elected or appointed to a full-time position with the union, or a body affiliated with the union.
Leave without pay for elected or appointed representatives of the union to attend conventions of the BCGEU and groups with which the union is affiliated. Those who are representatives of the union on a negotiating committee may have leave without pay to attend annual meetings.
Leave with pay for representatives of the union to carry on negotiations with the University, steward activity, and employees called to appear as witnesses before an arbitration board.
Employees nominated as candidates for election at the Federal, Provincial or Municipal level may be granted leave without pay to engage in the election campaign. If elected to full-time office, employees shall be granted leave without pay up to one year.
Employees on regular full-time appointments with three or more years of service may initiate negotiations on their own to exchange positions with an individual of comparable qualifications and experience for one year, with full salary and benefits during the exchange period.
One day of paid leave to all BCGEU Okanagan employees, except those designated by the University to remain on duty in keeping with operational requirements, as follows:
a) on Dec. 24, when Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or a Saturday;
b) on Dec. 27, when Christmas Day falls on a Monday or a Wednesday;
c) on Dec. 28, when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
Those employees who are designated to remain on duty on the Christmas floater shall receive a day off in lieu within the following 12 months.
Compassionate Care Leave Employment Insurance Benefits were introduced in January 2004 by the Canadian Government. On April 27, 2006, the BC Government amended the Employment Standards Act to provide for an entitlement to job-protected leave for Compassionate Care. Therefore, there are two parts to compassionate care leave as described below, the unpaid portion that is an entitlement under the BC Employment Standards Act and the Employment Insurance (EI) benefits that is subject to certain eligibility requirements as determined by HRSDC.
Compassionate Care Leave provides up eight weeks of unpaid leave for an employee to care or support a family member* if a medical practitioner issues a certificate stating that the family member has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks.
*A definition of “family member” as per Employment Standards may be found in Section 52 of the BC Employment Standards Act.
The Compassionate Care Benefit is a type of Employment Insurance (EI) benefit from Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Up to six weeks of EI Compassionate Care benefits may be available to those on Compassionate Care leave, after a two-week waiting period is served. A definition of “family member” for EI purposes may be found by clicking here.
If you wish to take additional leave after the expiry of your Compassionate Care leave, please refer to General Leave.
