Changes to Sick Leave following Pregnancy Related Sick Leave (PRSL)
The current provision remains in place, i.e.: where a public servant takes pregnancy related sick leave and exhausts their access to sick leave, they will have access to sick leave at half rate of pay for the duration of their pregnancy related illness. This extended pregnancy related sick leave at half pay will not count towards sick leave limits.
The two additional changes are:
1. Transitional Arrangement
All pregnancy related sick leave that occurred before the introduction of the new sick pay scheme on 31 st March 2014 will be discounted for the purposes of calculating access to paid sick leave. In practical terms this means that when calculating access to paid sick leave by reference to the four year look back and pregnancy related sick leave taken prior to 31 st March 2014 will be excluded.
2. Ongoing Arrangement
A Nurse who has exhausted her access to paid sick leave due to pregnancy related sick leave in the previous 4 years may have access to additional paid sick leave at the half rate of pay for non pregnancy related sick leave. Under this arrangement all PRSL (regardless of whether paid sick leave was the full rate or the half rate of pay) may be credited back to employees at the half rate of pay within the normal sick leave limits.
Under this arrangement the number of additional days allowed:
- Will be the equivalent number of days taken on pregnancy related sick leave in the 4 years.
- Must not exceed normal sick leave limits e.g.: (183 days or 365 days for cases which are approved under the Critical Illness protocol)for non-pregnancy related sick leave (when counted with other non-pregnancy related sick leave in the previous four years.
3. Cases already processed affected by these changes.
There may be a number of sick leave cases already processed since the commencement of the new scheme that may be affected by these changes.
Public Servants who took:
- PRSL prior to the introduction of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme; and
- Sick leave on or after the introduction of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which was pay affected due to the previous PRSL (e.g.: transitioned to TRR/off pay due to PRSL on their record.
Ongoing Arrangement
Public Servants who took:
- PRSL on or after the introduction of the Public Service Sick leave scheme and
- Sick leave on or after the introduction of the Public Service Sick Leave scheme where they were taken off pay to the previous PRSl (eg transitioned to TRR/off pay due to PRSL on their record)
- Where such cases are identified it may be necessary to revise sick leave calculations, adjust the sick leave record and restore pay if appropriate
If you are affected by these changes please contact your local branch rep
