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

51. Parental Leave - Adoption Leave

51.1 A staff member who submits satisfactory evidence of being an approved applicant for the adoption of a child and the date of placement of that child and who is the primary care giver of that child, shall be entitled to:

Where the child is at the date of adoption under twelve months of age, leave on full pay for a continuous period of twelve weeks commencing from the date of placement (provided that where a staff member receives payment under this clause, then clause 52 will not apply);

Where the child is at the date of adoption twelve months or more than twelve months of age, leave on full pay for a continuous period of six weeks commencing from the date of placement (provided that where a staff member receives payment under this sub-clause, then clause 52 will not apply);

Such leave without pay as will bring the aggregate leave to a continuous period not exceeding twelve calendar months.

51.2 A staff member employed on a short-term contract whose contract expires during a period of paid adoption leave shall not be eligible for further adoption leave after the date of expiry of the contract unless he/she is re-employed on a permanent basis or on a further contract. The provision of adoption leave shall not be grounds for the Termination of a contract or for a refusal by the University to offer re-Employment.

51.3 Normal incremental advancement shall continue during adoption leave.

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

• the staff member may, no less than 6 weeks prior to returning from adoption leave, apply in writing to his or 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 adoption leave, apply to his or 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.

Where a staff member makes application as above, the application shall normally be approved by the staff member's supervisor.

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.