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

52. Parental Leave - Domestic Partner Birth Leave

52.1 A staff member who submits a statutory declaration that he/she has accepted responsibility for the ongoing care of a dependant child shall be entitled to leave on full pay for five consecutive working days or for a period which in the aggregate does not exceed five working days. Such leave shall be taken within the period commencing in the week prior to the expected date of birth of the child and concluding six weeks after the birth of the child or, in the case of adoption of a child, within six weeks from the date of placement.

52.2 Additional unpaid leave up to an aggregate of 12 months duration may be taken to care for a young child.

52.3 Normal incremental advancement shall c ontinue during domestic partner birth leave.

52.4 A staff member who is the primary care giver of a child shall be entitled to return to work from domestic partner birth leave on the Full-time or fractional-time basis that applied to the staff member immediately prior to the commencement of domestic partner birth leave, provided that:

• the staff member may, no less than 6 weeks prior to returning from domestic partner birth leave, apply in writing to his/her supervisor to participate in the voluntary reduced working year arrangement as provided by clause 58 of this Agreement; or
• the staff member may, no less than 6 weeks prior to returning from domestic partner birth leave, apply to his/her supervisor to return on a reduced fraction of Employment basis, including a reduced fraction in connection with a job share arrangement, for an agreed period of time, following which the staff member shall be entitled to return to the substantive fraction of Employment.

In the event a supervisor declines to approve the staff member's application, the supervisor must refer the matter to the Dean if the applicant is a staff member of a faculty or centre reporting through a faculty, and in all other cases, the appropriate Divisional Director of the Division, for review of the decision. The supervisor shall provide reason(s) to support the decision to decline the staff member's application. The staff member shall be informed of the supervisor's decision and the reason(s) for it and invited to make a response to the Dean or appropriate Divisional Director of the Division as the case may be, prior to a final decision being made.