Benefits for temporary employees: days off are not a break in service
Temporary employees?who?qualify for benefits will not lose them if they are off sick or on annual leave, stat holidays, or any other type of leave granted to employees under the collective agreement (see articles 63 to 75 at http://www.cmg.ca/CBCbranchcollagreement2004-9-EN.pdf ).
All employees who work more than 13 weeks of continuous service are eligible for benefits. Temporary employees who were originally hired for less but who end up working more than 13 weeks, at least four days per week, must be added to the benefits plan after 13 weeks. You continue to qualify as long as you work at least four days per week. However, some employees have lost benefits because an absence due to illness or an approved leave was counted as a break in service.
CMG and CBC management have now clarified that temporary employees who have already qualified for benefits will not be disqualified if they take an approved leave. So be sure to mark any leave on your time cards for days you would normally be on the schedule, even if you don’t get paid for the leave.
At the recent national grievance committee meeting, CBC management confirmed that two temporary employees will be reimbursed for costs they incurred after being denied benefits because their leave counted as a break in service.
If you have been denied benefits and believe you qualify, please get in touch with a member of your location executive or write to info@cmg.ca .
Temporary employees: make sure your salary is moving on up
Don’t forget that you get to move up a step in your salary scale for each year of service you complete, whether you are permanent, on contract or temporary, even if you don’t work continuously.
The rule is, once you’ve completed 261 days at work, you are eligible to move to the next step. Click here to view the salary scales: http://www.cmg.ca/CBCbranchannualsalariesEN.pdf .
The national grievance committee is working to make sure everyone who qualifies is progressing along the salary scales. If you are a temporary employee and have worked for the equivalent of a year and have not moved up a step, talk to a member of your Guild location executive or write to info@cmg.ca .
Are you being forced to take annual leave to cope with a personal situation?
The Guild is continuing to gather information from members who have been forced to take annual leave or time off in lieu of overtime for situations that are actually covered under the “special leave” provisions of the collective agreement (see article 72). Special leave is meant to give employees time to cope with family and personal matters that arise during work hours. That way, your annual leave can be used for the purpose for which it was intended: a vacation.
The Guild has filed a national grievance on the issue. If you have been denied special leave but believe you qualify, please get in touch with a member of your location executive or write to info@cmg.ca .
This has been a report of the CMG’s national grievance committee, which met with CBC management the week of November 13.