This policy provides general details of leave benefits available to AUA employees. Leave benefits are subject to applicable laws. Eligibility for leave benefits vary for each benefit and eligibility guidelines are provided for each type of leave detailed in this policy. AUA will not retaliate against employees for requesting and/or obtaining a leave of absence. All Employees may be entitled to leave benefits as applicable by law or the collective agreements where applicable. A Leave Request Form must be completed for each leave request and approved by the relevant department head and the HR department or the Director or Vice President of Administrative Services in the absence of the HR department.
Paid Time off Policies: Vacation, Sick & Holiday Policy
All full-time employees are eligible for vacation and sick time after completion of their probationary period. All employees are eligible for Public Holidays. Full-time (FT) employees are defined as those employees working on average 40 hours a week or more on a regular basis.
FT employees are granted vacation days on a calendar year basis based on their years of service as described in the following table:
Years of Service Days Per Calendar Year
1 – 4 12
5 – 8 15
9 – 12 18
13+ 21
Only 5 vacation days are allowed to roll over to a following year.
New employees must have successfully completed their probationary period and a full year of service to be eligible for vacation time and are granted vacation time according to the above table. However, employees begin to accrue vacation time after they have successfully completed their probationary period of 90 days.
Vacation time may also be used for family illness, family activities, school visits, conducting personal business, appointments and additional holiday time. Employees are responsible and accountable for managing their own time to allow for reserves if there is a need to cover an, emergency and other approved absences.
Upon termination of employment, payment will be made for unused, vacation days remaining in the employee’s anniversary year. Employees resigning without prior notice may forfeit any vacation not taken.
Procedures for Scheduling Vacation Time:
Vacation leave should be taken annually. Advance planning is necessary to ensure appropriate coverage within each department and to maintain a high level of service to the campus and our students. By January 31st of each year, employees are expected to indicate in writing to their supervisor/manager, the time of year when they wish to proceed on vacation. Management, with consideration of the employee’s preference, but also based on operational requirements of the institution, will prepare a vacation schedule.
All vacation time must be approved 14 working days in advance by your supervisor/manager.
Vacation earned within the current calendar year is expected to be utilized during the following calendar year. Only up to 5 days will be allowed to “carry forward” during the next calendar year. Accumulated vacation will not be encouraged unless approved by the Vice President of Administrative Services.
Procedures for Unplanned Absences and Sick Leave:
Emergencies or illnesses arise from time to time and if you need to be absent due to an emergency or illness, you are required to notify your manager prior to your regularly scheduled start time on the day you will be absent and provide an expected return to work date.
Employees that fail to report to work for 3 consecutive days and do not notify their supervisor/manager may be disciplined up to and including termination. No-call/ no-shows are non-paid days.
For absences due to personal illness of 3 or more days and to qualify for paid sick leave, a medical certificate completed by a registered medical practitioner must be presented no later than the start of the third consecutive day of sickness.
The first fifteen (15) days of sick leave, whether certified or uncertified sick days will be paid by AUA.
Eligible Employees are also entitled to claim sick leave payment from the Social Security Scheme. An employee who submits a certified medical certificate, following the usage of their 15 days quota, will be paid forty percent (40%) of their basic wage for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days. The Social Security Scheme will normally pay the remaining sixty percent (60%) of the employee’s salary. AUA reserves the right to request an employee to undergo a medical examination by a specialist or other recognized medical practitioner (at AUA’s expense) to determine the validity of any prolonged sick leave.
Employees who wish to travel abroad as part of their extended sick leave to seek further medical assistance must furnish Management of AUA with a referral letter by their attending physician.
Public Holidays:
An official schedule of statutory holidays is issued at the end of the year for the following calendar year. All employees are eligible for holiday pay. Employees may elect to use vacation days on either side of a holiday with advance approval from their supervisor/manager.
The following are recognized as Public Holidays in Antigua and Barbuda:
New Year’s Day January 1st
Good Friday (as per calendar year)
Easter Monday (as per calendar year)
Labor Day First Monday in May
Whit Monday (as per calendar year)
Carnival Monday First Monday in August
Carnival Tuesday First Tuesday in August
Independence Day November 1st
V.C. Bird Day December 9th
Christmas Day December25
Boxing Day December 26
At the University’s discretion and with supervisory approval, employees may request a day off on their birthday. Employees are expected to take the day of the week on which it falls. If it falls on a Saturday, take Friday; if it falls on a Sunday, take Monday. If it falls on a Public Holiday, the day before or the day after the holiday may be taken. This time is not cumulative and should be taken within a week of occurrence.
Bereavement Leave: Full-time employees will be granted with up to three (3) days of paid leave upon the death of an immediate family member on island. If the death of the immediate family member as defined here is off island, the employee will be granted up to 5 days of paid leave. If an employee needs more than 3 or 5 days of leave, vacation time may be used to supplement bereavement leave. Within this policy, immediate family members are defined as Parent or Step-parent including in-laws; spouse/partner; sibling; step-sibling; child or step-child and grandparents.
In the unfortunate event of a death in an employee’s immediate family:
Jury Duty Leave: AUA will not deter employees from participating in the judicial process when called for jury duty. Full-time employees will be provided with paid leave to serve on jury duty. Full-time employees will receive their regular wages based on their regular work schedule while serving on jury duty. Employees are expected to report back to work during those periods when not required by the Court.
Part-time employees will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence until their jury duty service ends.
When an employee receives a jury summons or subpoena:
Witness Leave: AUA supports employees in performing their civic duty. Accordingly AUA will allow employees to take time off from work to appear as a witness when subpoenaed.
If an employee receives a summons or needs to take victim or witness leave:
In agreement with the collective bargaining agreements of the Line Staff & Security.