Government of New Brunswick
 

Policy Statement


Vacation provides personnel with a reasonable annual period of rest from work.
 

 

Application

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Vacation Leave applies to:

  • Management and Non-Union employees of Part I of the Public Service

Vacation Leave does not apply to:

  • individuals working on a casual/temporary basis with less than six months of continuous service
  • unionized employees. Refer to the appropriate collective agreement.
  • those on personal service contract. Refer to the terms of the contract.
 

Overview of Vacation Leave

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The following outlines how vacation leave/compensation is provided to individuals. For how credits are accumulated see "Accumulation of Credits" below.
 

Type of Employee Vacation Entitlement
Regular full-time Credits are accumulated on a monthly basis.
Regular, not employed on a full-time basis (includes job-sharing, part-time and seasonal) IF individuals are regularly scheduled to work more than one third of the normal period for persons doing similar work on a full-time basis,

THEN they are eligible to accumulate vacation leave credits on a pro-rated basis.
Individuals working on a casual or temporary basis

- with less than 6 months of continuous service

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- with a minimum of 6 months of continuous service


4% vacation pay will be paid biweekly during the period of employment.

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IF
vacation leave credits are paid out in the first 6 months of employment...
THEN vacation credits will be calculated from the seventh month of employment.

IF vacation leave credits are not paid out in the first 6 months of employment...
THEN
vacation credits will be calculated retroactively from the first month of employment.
 

Accumulation of Credits

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Vacation Leave credits are accumulated as follows:
 

WHEN the employee accumulates continuous service of... THEN they accumulate vacation leave credits at the rate of...
less than 96 months (8 yrs) 1 1/4 days per month (15 days/year)
at least 96 complete months (8 yrs) 1 2/3 days per month (20 days/year)
at least 240 complete months (20 yrs) 2-1/12 days per month (25 days/year)

Exceptions: Monthly vacation credits do not accumulate when an individual is on a leave of absence without pay or suspension for more than one-half the working days in a month.
 

 

Accumulation When Starting Employment

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The following points must be considered when an employee commences employment.
 

When the employee.. Then...
commences work in the first 10 working days of the month vacation leave credits are earned for that month
commences work after the first 10 working days of the month vacation leave credits begin to accumulate the following month
is experienced or specialized, on appointment deputy heads have the discretion to grant vacation leave benefits related to the new hire’s years of experience and level of benefit with their prior employer. However, the vacation leave cannot exceed the benefits as outlined in this policy for the same years of experience.
 

Use of Vacation Leave Credits

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Vacation leave credits are applied as follows for full time employees.

Note: The following credits are applied on a pro-rated basis for part time employees.
 

Days Absence Credits Deducted
Full day absences 1 day credit deducted for each
Absence of 1/2 day or less 1/2 day credit deducted for each
Absence of more than 1/2 day 1 day credit deducted for each

Exception:

IF emergency leave or sick leave is granted for a period during which an employee was on vacation leave,

THEN the vacation leave credits are reinstated to the employee.
(A medical certificate may be required for proof of illness.)
 

 

Guidelines for Approving Vacation Leave

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  • New employees should not be granted more vacation than earned during the first 6 months of employment.
  • Vacation leave must be requested in advance. Approval by the employer is required and subject to operational requirements.
  • All vacation leave credits should normally be taken during the calendar year in which they are earned. (See "Carry over of Vacation Credits" below.)
 

Vacation Leave Approval Process

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The following is the process for the request and approval of vacation leave:
 

Stage Who Does It What Happens
1 Employee Completes appropriate request for vacation leave documentation
2 Supervisor Ensures

- adherence to this policy and departmental procedures

- adequate vacation leave credits exist

- notification to employee whether leave is or is not approved

- vacation leave records are adjusted appropriately.
 

Carry Over of Vacation Credits

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Following is the process for the request and approval of vacation leave carry over.

Step Who Does It What Happens
1 Employee Makes a request in writing to carry-over unused vacation credits of more than 1 year to the next calendar year.
2 Deputy Head
  • Deputy Head or designate may, in exceptional circumstances,  approve carry-over of more than 1-year’s earned vacation credits  up to but no more than 2-years’ entitlement.

  • If carry-over in excess of 1-year’s earned credits is not approved, it will be automatically paid out prior to the end of the fiscal year.
 

Vacation Credits Due or Owing on Terminating Employment

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The following applies when an employee terminates employment and has either vacation credits or vacation leave owing.
 

When an employee terminates employment.... Then the employee...
and has taken more vacation leave than has been credited must compensate the employer at the rate of pay upon termination.
with vacation credits which have not been used is entitled to a cash settlement in lieu of vacation based on the employee’s rate of pay at termination.
 

Authority

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Financial Administration Act 6 (1)(d)
Board of Management Minutes:

  • 90-0083
  • 90-0353
  • 94.0279
  • 97.0490

Treasury Board Minute:

  • 17.0056

 

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Summary of 3-Year Implementation Window

(January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020)

Scenario: Action:
Employee who currently (i.e. as of February 2018) has unused credits beyond one-year’s entitlement (3, 4 or 5 weeks’ of vacation based on years of service) selects an immediate payout of the portion beyond one-year’s worth. SNB payroll services will reduce carry-over bank to 1-year’s entitlement and the difference will be paid out.
Employee who currently (i.e. as of February 2018) has unused credits beyond one-year’s entitlement (3, 4 or 5 weeks’ of vacation based on years of service) selects to draw down their vacation bank over a period of 3 years; however, still has greater than one year’s entitlement at the end of the period in December 2020. SNB payroll services will reduce carry-over bank to 1-year’s entitlement at the end of the 3-year period (December 2020) and the difference will be paid out by the following March 31.
Employee selects to draw down their vacation bank over a period of 3-years and is successful in reducing it down to current year’s entitlement. N/A