End of Year Leave Arrangements
- Consultation

Current arrangements for annual leave take-up, and carry-over of unused leave days at the year's end, are seen by some members and management as somewhat inflexible.

The existing practice is that:

• All leave entitlements are set each year, and have to be used up by the 31 March

• Four days can be carried over to the new leave year but must be used up by the end of August

• Any leave not used up is lost.

Exceptions are made only if staff leave, are made redundant, or retire. Monetary compensation is then made for the value of the leave which would otherwise be unlawfully removed.

The Staff Side of UNISON - who negotiate with Devon County Council on service conditions for all staff - would like suggestions from members of staff of other practical ways of dealing with a better distribution of end of year leave available.

Ideally these should contribute to ending the 'rush' to take up all residual leave in March and so provide a more balanced year round solution.

With more flexibility for staff, a pronounced benefit to the Council would be the end of office's coping with absent staff in March, a peak time of budgets and council tax activities.

As there would be mutual benefit in this, UNISON would like a revision of the current arrangements. Subject to working through your suggestions and then putting these to the employers to seek agreement, it may be possible for new arrangements to be in place before the next leave year.

We would like you to tell us therefore how we could best work the leave year to achieve such flexibility. Should we look at:

• Ending the leave year on the staff members' individual birthday?

• On a chosen calendar month?

• On semesters: say at June and December or quarterly?

• On the date of joining Devon County Council or other employer?

• Keeping things as they are?

Or do you have another suggestion?

Comments received.