Appendix: Employee leave entitlements

Annual leave

Permanent team members are entitled to 4 weeks paid annual leave per year. This accrues through the year and accumulates year to year. You should discuss your intention to take leave with your manager at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the leave period. They will consider the needs of the business and your leave balance before approving the request. 

For annual leave requests of more than four weeks, a request should be put in writing to your direct manager and they will provide a response within 14 days. 

It is advisable to seek leave approval before committing to holiday arrangements. 

There are no black out periods for leave.

Sick leave and personal/ carer’s leave

Permanent team members are entitled to 10 days sick leave per year. This accrues through the year and accumulates from year to year. 

Sick leave entitlement is so that you can take time off work if you are ill or injured or you need to care for a member of your immediate family or household who is ill or injured.

You must notify your manager as soon as possible of your need to take sick leave and no later than 1 hour before your shift is due to start. You should provide the reason for your leave and confirm your relationship to the person that is ill or injured if applicable. You should also advise when you expect to return to work. 

You must provide a medical certificate or evidence if your leave period is for more than 2 consecutive days and/or when otherwise requested.

Medical appointments and elective surgeries that are pre-arranged can only be covered by sick leave if you are not able to work because of a personal illness or injury. 

Retail team members that fall sick with gastrointestinal illnesses should wait 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhea before returning to work at the Co-op.

Long service leave

Long service leave is an entitlement which recognises length of service and aims to ensure team members receive an extended break from the work environment, primarily for rest and relaxation and to support work/life balance.

Eligible team members are entitled to take long service leave after completing 10 years of continuous service.

When you wish to take long service leave, you should apply in writing to your manager at least 12 weeks before the intended start date of the leave, specifying the intended dates of the long service leave. 

Payment for Long Service Leave will be paid for at your ordinary base rate of pay.

Compassionate leave

The Co-op recognises compassionate or bereavement events can be difficult times and wants to support its team members as much as it can. 

All team members, including casual team members, are entitled to compassionate leave. It can be taken when:

• A member of a team member’s immediate family or household member passes away;
• A member of a team member’s immediate family or household member suffers a life-threatening illness or injury;
• The team member suffers a miscarriage; or
• The team member’s current spouse or defecto partner suffers a miscarriage. 

All team members are entitled to 2 days compassionate leave each time an immediate family or household member dies or suffers a life-threatening illness or injury.

Permanent team members receive compassionate leave at their base rate of pay.

Casual team members received unpaid compassionate leave.

Family and domestic violence leave

Family and Domestic Violence is defined as ‘violent, threatening or other abusive behaviour by a team member’s close relative that seeks to coerce or control a team member and causes them harm or to be fearful’.

A close relative is defined in legislation as:

• A spouse, former spouse, de facto partner or former de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the team member. 
• A child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of a former spouse or de facto spouse of the team member.
• A person related to the team member according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander kinship rules.

All team members are entitled to 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave each year, which does not accrue. 

Leave can be taken to help manage activities related to family and domestic violence that are impractical to do outside ordinary hours of work. 

For example, this could include:

• Making arrangements for your safety, or safety of a close relative (including relocation)
• Attending court hearings
• Accessing police services

You must provide the Co-op with a statutory declaration or any other documentary evidence required by the Co-op in support of a period of family and domestic violence leave (including one day or less) such as, but not limited to:

• Documents issued by the police service
• Documents issued by a court
• Documents/letters from a family violence support service
• Reports issued by a doctor or school

Any information provided to the Co-op as evidence in support of family and domestic violence leave will be treated as confidential.

Community service leave

We recognise the valuable contribution community service volunteers make in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies such as bushfires, floods and earthquakes. 

Community service leave can include Defence Force Leave, Emergency Services Leave and Jury Service. 

Team members, including casual team members, can take community service leave for certain activities such as:

• Voluntary emergency activities
• Jury duty (including attendance for jury selection) 
• With the exception of jury duty, community service is unpaid. 

The team member must inform their manager of their absence as soon as possible and the period of expected absence. 

Jury service leave

Jury duty, also known as jury service, is a type of community service. Team members, including casual team members, can take leave to attend jury selection and jury duty. 

If you have been summoned to attend jury duty you must provide your manager with a copy of your summons. 

Permanent team members will be paid ‘make up pay’ for the first 10 days of jury duty. Make up pay is the difference between the pay you receive from the courts and your ordinary base rate of pay for the hours you would have worked. 

Before make up pay can be paid, you must provide evidence that you have attended jury duty and the total amount you have been paid by the courts. Without the evidence, make up pay cannot be paid.

Parental leave

Caring for a newborn or newly adopted child is an exciting time for parents. 

Full time and part time team members and in some instances casual team members are entitled to Parental Leave in line with relevant legislation. 

Team members can access parental leave entitlements when they are pregnant, a child is born or adopted. 

Parental leave entitlements include:

• Maternity leave
• Paternity and partner leave
• Adoption leave
• Special maternity leave
• A safe job or no safe job leave

Parental leave is leave that can be taken when:

• A team member gives birth
• A team member’s spouse or de-facto partner gives birth
• A team member adopts a child under 16 years of age

Under the National Employment Standards (NES) all team members are eligible for 12 months of statutory unpaid parental leave if they are:

• Permanent full time or part time
• Have worked for the Co-op for at least 12 months
• Before the date or expected date of birth if the team member is pregnant
• Before the date of the adoption
• When the leave starts (if the leave is taken after another person cares for the child or takes parental leave)
• Have or will have responsibility for the care of a child

Casual team members are eligible for unpaid parental leave if they have: 

• Been working for the Co-op on a regular and systemic basis for 12 months
• A reasonable expectation of continuing work with the employer on a regular and systemic basis, had it not been for the birth or adoption of a child

A team member wishing to take unpaid parental leave must:

• Inform their manager of their intention to take parental leave by giving at least 10 weeks written notice (if unable to, providing as much notice as possible)
• Specify the length of leave and intended start and end dates
• Submit a leave request in Deputy
• At least four weeks before the intended start date
• Confirm the start and end dates
• Advise their manager of any changes to the start and end date (if unable to, providing as much notice as possible)

A pregnant team member wanting to work during the six week period before the birth date may be asked by the Co-op to provide a medical certificate within 7 days of the request that states:

• The team member is fit for work 
• If the team member is fit for work, whether it is inadvisable for the team member to continue in her present position because of:
• Illness or risks arising out of the team member’s pregnancy
• Hazards associated with the position

A team member can, at any time, request for their parental leave to be reduced or extend. This request must be in writing and provide at least 4 weeks notice.

Pregnancy is not considered an illness or injury; however, if a team member experiences a pregnancy related illness or injury, she may access her ordinary personal/ carer’s sick leave entitlements and other accrued leave entitlement whilst still at work. Personal/carer’s leave does not form part of unpaid parental leave.

A team member is guaranteed to return to work immediately following a period of unpaid parental leave, entitling them to:

• Their pre-paid parental leave position or
• An available position for which they are qualified and suitable, which is nearest in status and pay to their pre-parental leave position if that position no longer exists.

If the team member does not want to return to their pre-parental position they must inform their manager in writing at least 4 weeks prior to their return to work date. They should include the role they would like to perform upon returning to work.

Subject to satisfying the criteria, team members may be eligible to receive payments under the Australian Government’s Paid Parental Leave (PLP) Scheme (subject to legislative changes).

Eligible team members who are the primary carer of a newborn or newly adopted child may be entitled to 18 weeks PLP, which is paid at the National Minimum Wage. 

The company will receive PLP payments from the Australian Government and forward this payment onto the team member during the Company’s normal pay cycle.

Eligible working partners (including same-sex partners) may be entitled to 2 weeks leave paid at the National Minimum Wage. These payments are made directly to the team member by the Australian Government.