Conditions applying in common to all trades and services staff

This Part shall apply in common to all trades and services staff except where otherwise expressly provided.

Section 5 - Leave of Absence and Holidays

55. Sick Leave

55.1 Except where otherwise provided in this Agreement, a staff member shall be entitled to sick leave on the staff member's ordinary time earnings at the rate of fifteen working days (114 hours) for each completed year of service from the date of appointment. Such leave shall be credited twelve months in advance provided that, in the first year of Employment:

• a staff member appointed on a permanent basis or on a contract basis for a period of 24 months or more shall be credited on appointment with 30 days (228 hours)sick leave for the first two years of service;
• a staff member appointed on a contract basis for a period less than 24 months shall be credited on appointment with the amount of leave that would accrue during the period of the contract.

55.2 Sick leave entitlements are cumulative from year to year.

55.3 Previous periods of service with the University shall be recognised for the purpose of determining a staff member's entitlement to sick leave provided that any break in service with the University does not exceed twelve months.

55.4 Sick leave credits shall be transferable from institutions listed in clause 49.3 of this Agreement and shall be transferable from other employers approved for the purpose of determining long service leave entitlements as per clause 49, provided that the maximum benefit shall be restricted to thirty days (228 hours).

55.5 Where a holiday falls during a period of sick leave and that holiday is observed by the University, no deduction shall be made from the sick leave credits of a staff member for such day.

55.6 A staff member may convert sick leave on full pay to sick leave on half pay at any time.

For any day of sick leave which forms part of a period of absence in excess of three consecutive days (including weekends and holidays) or in excess of six aggregate working days in any year of service, the staff member shall furnish proof of illness to the University. A certificate from a registered medical practitioner, registered dentist, registered physiotherapist, registered chiropractor, registered osteopath, registered optometrist, registered naturopath, registered clinical or counseling psychologist or a statutory declaration by the staff member shall be accepted as proof of illness. In the absence of such proof, the period of absence from duty shall be without pay or, at the request of the staff member, shall be deducted from the annual leave credits of the staff member.

55.8 A staff member who contracts an infectious disease classified as notifiable to the Victorian Department of Health or who is required by a medical practitioner to remain in isolation by reason of contact with a person suffering from a notifiable infectious disease, shall be granted isolation leave on full pay for the period that the staff member is required to be absent and shall not have such leave deducted from sick leave credits.

55.9 A staff member shall be entitled to be granted special repatriation leave for illness due to disabilities certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs as having directly resulted from war service. Such leave shall be granted with full pay up to fifteen days (114 hours) during each year of service and shall not be deducted from sick leave credits. Such leave shall accumulate if not taken provided that the total of the accumulated leave shall not, at any time, exceed 100 days (760 hours).

55.10 Where a period of illness exceeds the staff member's sick leave credited entitlements, the University may approve sick leave in advance, provided the period of advanced leave will be accrued within the period of appointment.