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Sick Leave
- A permanent employee is entitled to paid sick leave of 30 days over any 3-year cycle (36 days if the employee works a 6-day week). This amounts to a 6 week period over 3 years and may not be broken down into two weeks per year. During the first 6 months that an employee works for an employer, s/he gets 1 day paid sick leave for every 26 days worked. Once all these paid sick leave days are used up, the employer does not have to pay the employee when s/he is off sick.
- Only an employee who works more than 24 hours during any month earns sick leave and this is on the basis of one days leave for every 26 days worked.
- Seasonal or temporary employees are entitled to 1 day’s sick leave for every 26 days worked over the first 6-month cycle.
- Employees who are sick for more than 2 days, or are sick on two separate occasions within an 8 week cycle may be required to produce a doctor’s certificate. If an employee lives on the premises and it is difficult for him/her to get to a doctor (for example, in rural areas), the employee does not have to produce a certificate unless the employer gives the employee reasonable assistance to get the certificate.
- Sick leave pay is not a bonus on top of normal pay. It simply means that if an employee is genuinely sick and has to take time off work, the employer must pay the employee up to a certain number of days. For example, if a waitress in a restaurant only takes 3 days sick leave this year, the employer does not owe her the money for the remaining sick leave days at the end of the year.
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