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CREDITS
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| 20.01 |
(a) |
An employee shall earn sick leave credits at the rate of 0.057693 hours for each hour that an employee receives pay. The time to which this applies is set out in Article 17.08. |
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(b) |
Sick leave will be taken in hours, on the basis of the employee's regularly scheduled hours of work for the day the leave is taken. |
| 20.02 |
All Employer approved sick leave utilized by employees shall be recorded based upon the actual sick leave time taken. |
| 20.03 |
Unless otherwise informed by the Employer an employee must make a statement stating that because of his/her illness or injury he/she was unable to perform his/her duties. |
| 20.04 |
The Employer shall only require a variation beyond the basic requirement described in 20.03, in the form of a medical certificate from a medical or nurse practitioner, where there is a demonstrated and reasonable basis for doing so. |
| 20.05 |
Where leave of absence without pay is authorized for any reason, or an employee is laid-off because of lack of work, and the employee returns to work upon expiration of such leave of absence or lay-off, he/she shall retain any unused sick leave existing at the time of lay-off or commencement of leave without pay. |
| 20.06 |
In circumstances where sick leave would be authorized but the employee has insufficient or no sick leave credits, at the discretion of the Employer, he/she shall be granted sick leave in advance to a limit of fifteen (15) days, which shall be charged against future credits as earned. If the employee dies before authorized unearned sick leave has been liquidated, no recovery shall be made from the employee's estate. |
| 20.07 |
An employee is not eligible for sick leave with pay for any period during which he/she is on leave of absence without pay or under suspension. |
| 20.08 |
When an employee is granted sick leave with pay and injury-on-duty leave is subsequently approved for a concurrent period, there shall be no charge against his/her sick leave credits for the period of concurrency. |
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TRANSPORTATION TO A MEDICAL CENTRE
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| 20.09 |
(a) |
Where an employee or an employee's dependant is required to travel from his/her place of residence in the N.W.T. to secure medical treatment, traveling expenses incurred will be reimbursed subject to the following provisions: |
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(i) |
Payment shall not exceed the cost of return transportation to the point of departure or the nearest place where adequate treatment is available (whichever results in the lesser expense) accommodation and meal costs, in accordance with Article 20.09(b). |
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(ii) |
Where, due to inclement weather conditions, or to circumstances completely beyond an employee's control, his/her travel to the centre where treatment is to be provided is interrupted, the enroute accommodation and meals will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 20.09(b). |
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(iii) |
Payment shall not be made unless the claim is supported by a certificate from a qualified medical practitioner stating that the treatment (including dental) was non-elective and required for the health of the patient and could not be provided by the facilities or services available at the community in which the employee is resident. |
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(b) |
The following expenses, supported by an expense claim with receipts, will be reimbursed: |
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(i) |
taxi fare for required travel. (Airport shuttle bus must be used if feasible) |
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(ii) |
the most economical airfare, or mileage in accordance with Article 45.11(a)(ii) |
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(iii) |
up to 25 days hotel accommodation and meal/incidental costs in accordance with Article 45.04 and 45.05. Reimbursement of accommodation costs and meal/incidental costs are not applicable to periods spent in a treatment facility. |
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(iv) |
up to a maximum of fifty dollars ($50.00) per day for accommodation, meals and local transportation expenses for any periods beyond twenty-five (25) days, and not to exceed forty (40) days. |
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(v) |
When travel is by privately owned car and the total cost of the trip, including the per diem rate for meals and incidentals and lodging expenses, exceeds the cost of the same journey by ordinary commercial means, reimbursement shall be limited to the commercial cost. |
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(c) |
(i) |
Where a qualified medical practitioner certifies that it is necessary for an employee or his/her dependent to be accompanied by some other person, the Employer shall approve the reimbursement of expenses for this person as set out in Article 20.09(b). |
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(ii) |
When someone other than a medical attendant or person designated by Health and Social Services accompanies the employee or his/her dependant, where applicable, he/she shall be the spouse, the parent or another person designated by the employee. |
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(d) |
In the case of an employee being the non-medical escort for a member of his/her immediate family, the employee may be granted special leave. Such leave will not be unreasonably denied. Travel time, as defined under Clause 20.10, will not be granted for this non-medical escort duty. |
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(e) |
The employee completes an application for travel assistance under a group surgical or medical plan to which the Employer and the employee share the premium and a form assigning any payment under the group surgical or medical plan to the Employer to the extent that costs for travel have been paid by the Employer under this Article. |
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(f) |
This provision shall apply to an employee's dependants where the employee has declared in a notarized statement that this benefit is not provided to the employee's dependants by the Government of the Northwest Territories or by another employer. |
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TRAVEL TIME
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| 20.10 |
Every employee who is proceeding to a medical centre under the provisions of Clause 20.09 shall be granted leave of absence with pay which is not to be charged against his/her sick leave credits for the lesser of three (3) days or the actual time spent away from work. When an employee has elected to drive rather than travel by air, travel time with no deduction from sick leave credits will be limited to the time required to travel had the employee travelled by air. |
