Transfer of Leave Win!

A CPSU/CSA member at the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation & Safety has had an important win, after initially being denied her leave entitlements. 

With a gravely ill parent overseas, the member applied for personal leave for the following day, to take some time to call her parent to say goodbye.

When she returned to work, she received an email telling her the personal leave application had been denied.

Frustrated, the member applied to take annual leave for the next day. 

Coincidently, it was during this annual leave day her father passed away.

Annual leave had also been booked earlier for over the Christmas period as a department decision had been made to shut the office down over this period to enforce the use of excess leave. 

When she returned to work she contacted her HR team to have her annual leave transferred to bereavement leave. This too was denied, She was advised HR have previously consulted with Labour Relations who confirmed these types of transfer could not be done, as per the Award.

Now after the loss of her father and being advised her leave entitlements had denied, upset, she contacted the CPSU/CSA Union, who in agreement wrote a letter on her behalf to the Director-General requesting discretion be applied to this particular situation. Within seven days, the leave had been approved from annual leave to both personal and bereavement leave.

“It was a fair decision and the right thing to have been done and it’s important to challenge what doesn’t seem right. Find out what you may be entitled to and when you think something isn’t right, stand up for it.

“A president has now been made with this win and our HR Department now know you can ask for leave to be amended.

“My concern is for other members and staff who will and have previously applied for amendments which been denied. This may also apply to other Government Departments,” she said.

In Your Union Agreement, there could be more specifics about transferring or amending annual leave entitlements and each Agency may have its own policy on the transfer or amendment of leave entitlements.

“We trust management and HR to do right by their staff. If your doubtful about what you’ve been advised do not just accept what your being told. A phone call to the Union to gain information and assistance when required is a good start.

“And if that means getting your Union involved, then so be it. I’m really pleased I’m a member, as on my own I’m not sure I would have pushed this further, even though it’s quite an important win.

“I’m very committed to my job and I work hard. I just wish a bit that common sense and  compassion had been applied initially as it would have gone a long way towards not ending up with this situation.”

Read more about this case, which forms part of the CPSU/CSA’s Wage Theft submission.