Article 28 : annual leave

28.1  Continuous service for the accumulation of annual leave

• Subject to 28.1 c), the date of continuous service for the accumulation of annual leave in the case of a regular employee covered by the Bargaining unit at the time the agreement is ratified is the one indicated in the Human Resources Service file.
• The date of continuous service for the accumulation of annual leave in the case of an employee whose first regular position starts after the date the agreement is ratified corresponds to the date of the start of his continuous service with the University.
• A term employee employed by the University on January 24, 2007, or hired after that date, whose functions were covered by the Bargaining unit and who started a regular position other than the one held on a term basis before the date the agreement was ratified is deemed to have the more recent of January 24, 2007, or the date he was hired as the date of continuous service for the accumulation of annual leave.

28.2 Annual leave may be taken as it is accumulated during the course of the year beginning on January 1 of every year. Annual leave is accumulated on a monthly basis but is established at each pay period. When days of annual leave are added on the basis of the date of continuous service for the accumulation of annual leave, the monthly accumulation is amended to include these additions from the time of the application date.

28.3 The University determines the period when an employee may take his annual leave. This determination must take into account the requirements of the position. Every faculty or service determines the periods when annual leave is limited, the maximum number of people who may take annual leave at the same time, as well as the maximum number of days that can be taken together.

28.4 An employee is guaranteed entitlement to take two (2) consecutive weeks of annual leave, if he wishes, between the first Monday after June 15 and the Friday preceding Labour Day each year.

An employee provides notice of his choice of annual leave for the coming summer no later than May 1 of that same year. He gives three (3) choices, specifying the order of preference. If he requests more than two (2) consecutive weeks of annual leave, the employee indicates which weeks he would prefer in case the weeks, in their entirety, cannot be granted.

No later than May 15, the supervisor prepares the annual leave schedule for the summer, taking into consideration the preferences expressed, and inform the concerned employees of the schedule. If a given week of annual leave cannot be granted to the employees who requested it, and if the concerned employees and the supervisor cannot readily agree on an acceptable compromise, the priority for approval is based on seniority.

For annual leave requests outside of the summer period, or for requests made after May 1 for this period, the "first come, first served" principle applies.

A supervisor may not refuse a request for annual leave without just and reasonable cause.

28.5 Before taking annual leave, an employee must obtain authorization from his supervisor and complete his request through the University's electronic leave management system.

28.6 When an employee is unable to take an annual leave already approved by his supervisor due to an illness that occurred before the start of the scheduled annual leave, the employee may postpone his annual leave to a later date with the agreement of his supervisor.

28.7  An employee who becomes ill during a period of annual leave begins his sick leave only at the end of the on-going period of annual leave, if necessary.

28.8 An employee who is hospitalized and admitted as a result of an illness or accident that occurred during a period of annual leave may postpone his annual leave to a later date. In that event, the employee must provide the Human Resources Service, Occupational Health, Disability and Leave sector, with proof of his hospitalization, which determines the employee's eligibility.

28.9  An employee who holds a permanent regular position and who is not on probation may borrow and use up to ten (10) days of unearned annual leave.

28.10 As long as a regular employee whose probation period is over has taken at least two (2) weeks of annual leave in the year, he may accumulate and automatically carry forward to the following year, up to ten (10) days of unused annual leave in addition to the annual accumulation. Subject to agreement on when this leave is to be used, and the approval of the dean or director, the employee may accumulate up to a maximum of thirty (30) days of annual leave in addition to their annual accumulation.

28.11  Annual leave for seasonal and part-time regular employees is calculated and paid on a prorated basis according to the number of hours worked.

28.12  Employees on sick leave approved by the University or on leave due to a workplace accident accumulate annual leave credits during the first one hundred and nineteen (119) calendar days of their absence.

28.13 During a leave without pay of more than ten (10) consecutive days in a given year, an employee does not accumulate annual leave.

Notwithstanding the preceding, an employee in a class 10 (with supervision) or higher position with less than five (5) years of service for accumulation of annual leave purposes, but who has already accumulated twenty (20) days of annual leave per year, continues to be entitled to this leave.

28.14 Term employees accumulate 1.25 days of annual leave per month.