Long service leave guideline
Intent
Long service leave is additional leave with pay granted to staff members after a long period of continuous service with the one employer. Its purpose is to recognise the staff member's service and to enable the staff member to have a lengthy period of relaxation during his/her working life.
Scope
Fixed term and continuing staff.
Exclusions
n/a
Guideline
1. Eligibility and entitlement
Staff may access the long service leave entitlements on a pro rata basis after completion of seven years recognised continuous service, accrued at the rate of 1.3 weeks for each completed year of service. Staff can take all or a portion of the long service leave.
Fixed term and continuing staff:On completion of seven years continuous service, the staff member is entitled to 9.1 weeks long service leave on full pay. After 10 years service, the staff member is entitled to 13 weeks long service leave on full pay.
- Part-time staff: accrue long service leave on a pro-rata basis with calculations based on the average hours or work over the ten year continuous service period.
- Recognised prior service: Continuous service for the purpose of long service leave includes service with previous employers recognised by RMIT University (refer to the Recognition of prior service procedure). Staff must serve at least three years with RMIT before they can access long service leave.
2. Notice
Staff will be eligible to take all or a portion of their long service leave at a mutually agreeable time having regard to the operational requirements of the University, provided that a request for leave will not be unreasonably refused.
Staff intending to take their long service leave must provide a minimum of six months notice or, in the absence of such notice the relevant delegated authority is satisfied that alternative arrangements can be made to cover the workload of the staff member.
All requests for long service leave must be submitted through ESS.
3. Long service leave on half-pay
A staff member may elect to convert the relevant period of long service leave to double the period on half pay. Superannuation implications should be discussed with Human Resources.
4. Direction to take long service leave
The University may direct in writing an employee with a long service leave balance of 4.5 months or more to take up to three months leave, commencing within 12 months after the direction at a time determined by the University, provided that an employee cannot be directed to take leave within 24 months of the intended date of retirement. A second direction will not be given within two years of the end of this period of leave.
5. Termination of employment – payment in lieu
On termination of employment a staff member, or their legal representative as appropriate, is entitled to payment in lieu of long service leave accrued but not taken. The amount of such pay will be computed on a daily basis equivalent to 1.3 weeks per annum provided that:
- the employment of the staff member terminates after seven years or more of service, including service recognised with another employer
- after four years service with the University, the staff member retires on the grounds of ill health, age, or the staff member dies and in the case of TAFE teaching staff if the staff member is retrenched
- in the case of retrenchment, payment in lieu will be for all long service leave accrued for each completed year of service plus a pro rata amount for the current year of service calculated on a daily basis