Policy 47b
Approved Board of Governors 2012.2WORKING CONDITIONS FOR CONTRACTUAL STAFF PAID FROM GRANTS AND EXTERNAL CONTRACTS
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this policy is to define working conditions for staff members who are paid from sources other than the University’s operating funds such as grants, research grants and external contracts.
This policy does not apply to Postdoctoral Fellows nor to any employee who is a member of a recognized bargaining unit at the University of Ottawa.
DEFINITIONS
Casual staff:
This group consists of:
• Staff paid by the hour with a workload that can vary from week to week and who do not accrue continuous service during their period of employment at the University.
• Staff with a total workload of less than 15 hours per week and who do not accrue continuous service during their period of employment at the University.
Short term staff:
This group consists of staff hired for a term of less than one year, with a total workload of at least 15 hours per week and who will have accrued less than one year of continuous service at the University upon completion of their employment.
Medium term staff:
This group consists of staff hired for a term of at least one year and less than two years, with a total workload of at least 15 hours per week and who will have accrued less than two years of continuous service at the University upon completion of their employment.
Long term staff:
This group consists of:
• Staff hired for a term of at least two years or staff who have accrued two years or more of continuous service with the University, with a total workload of at least 15 hours per week;
• Staff who are offered a term of less than two years, with a total workload of at least 15 hours per week, with a strong likelihood that funding will be available for a period longer than two years. The research grant/contract holder must confirm, in writing, his or her intention to retain the individual for a period of at least two years, subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory performance.
Retired staff:
This group consists of employees who have officially retired from the University of Ottawa. These employees may not work more than 23 hours per week and are not eligible to group insurance benefits nor to the pension plan. There must be a minimum period of 13 weeks between the retirement date and the date a retiree is rehired by the University, unless all Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) rules are respected.
Continuous service:
Any succession of contracts renewed prior to the expiration or with no interruption greater than 13 weeks.
PRINCIPLES
This policy is subject to funding agency terms and conditions.
Should funding agency terms and conditions prohibit the offering of some of the employment conditions described below, employee benefits will be harmonized to the extent permissible by the funding agency or, at least, the conditions for short-term staff will apply.
In the rare event the working conditions as they relate to “Leave, benefits and pension” stipulated below are not eligible to be covered under the research grant or contract from which the employee is being remunerated, the Associate Vice-President, Human Resources may authorize an exception to this policy.
This policy is not intended to reduce benefits which have already been provided to staff members who are currently paid from research grants. Staff who, as of the date of this policy, are receiving a larger benefits package than the one described below will be “grandfathered” under this policy and will continue to receive the fringe benefits package they are currently receiving.
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
a) Eligibility to regular non-unionized positions
Employees who have accumulated one year of continuous service at the University are eligible to apply to internal postings for regular non-unionized positions and based on the competency evaluation and interview process, they will be given priority over external candidates. Retired staff are not eligible to regular positions.
b) Eligibility to leave, benefits and pension
Leave, benefits and pension must be offered to eligible staff members as described in the table below. All employer costs for leave, core benefits and pension must be paid from the research grant or contract. All costs for “Optional group insurance benefits” are paid by the staff member.
Staff members who do not wish to participate to the employee benefits program are not obligated to do so and must confirm their wishes in writing to Human Resources.
|
Benefit |
Benefit Description |
Casual staff |
Short term staff (< 1 yr) |
Medium term staff (> 1 yr and < 2 yrs) |
Long term staff (2+ yrs) |
Retired staff |
|
Statutory benefits (employer portion paid by grant) |
Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, Workplace Safety and Insurance, Employer Health Tax. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes
|
Yes |
|
Sick leave |
Basic sick leave: accrual of one half day per month for the length of the contract.
|
No |
Yes (not tracked in the leave system i.e. manually tracked by the faculty / service).
Accrued sick leave cannot be transferred to a subsequent contract. |
Yes
Ssick leave can be accrued and transferred to a subsequent contract. |
Yes
A maximum of 85 working days of sick leave can be accrued and transferred to a subsequent contract.
The grant will cover the cost for the first 12 days of sick leave taken each year.
Support may be sought from the University’s “sick leave fund” for subsequent sick leave (up to the maximum accrued by the employee). |
Rules of short-, medium- or long-term employees apply.
Accrual is prorated to the number of hours worked. |
|
|
|
No annual leave will be accrued. However an additional 4% will be added to the pay of the staff member throughout the duration of the contract. |
No annual leave will be accrued. However an additional 4% will be added to the pay of the staff member throughout the duration of the contract. |
Yes
Employee accrues annual leave at the rate of 1.25 day per month
Leave is taken during the year it is accrued unless an exception is approved by the CAO for exceptional circumstances.
Any remaining leave is paid at the end of the last contract renewal from the same funding source. |
Yes
Employee accrues annual leave based on the leave schedule provided in Policy 9A.
Leave is taken during the year it is accrued unless an exception is approved by the CAO for exceptional circumstances.
Any remaining leave is paid at the end of the last contract renewal from the same funding source. |
Rules of short-, medium- or long-term employees apply.
Accrual is prorated to the number of hours worked. |
|
Special leave |
Special leaves: A maximum of 3 days per year, prorated to the length of the contract, for use in the case of the death of a family member (father, mother, children, sister, brother, spouse, mother-in-law, father-in-law), marriage of the staff member, move, birth of a child (for the father) or family obigations and other emergencies, as described in Policy 9A. |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Rules of short-, medium- or long-term employees apply.
Accrual is prorated to the number of hours worked. |
|
Paid holidays |
Statutory holidays recognized by the University are defined in Policy 9A.
In addition, the University is closed for the Holiday period starting at the end of the workday on December 22 until the beginning of the workday on January 3. |
As per Ontario Employment Standards Act. |
Statutory holidays recognized by the University only. |
Yes |
Yes |
Rules of short-, medium- or long-term employees apply.
|
|
Overtime (paid by grant) |
As per the Employment Standards Act. |
Yes if approved in advance |
Yes if approved in advance |
Yes if approved in advance |
Yes if approved in advance |
Yes if approved in advance |
|
(employer portion paid by grant) |
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes
Once eligible, the employee has a limited time to register. Coverage changes can be considered as a result of a major life event or upon contract renewal. |
No |
|
Optional group insurance benefits (paid by staff member) |
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes
Once eligible, the employee has a limited time to register. Coverage changes can be considered as a result of a major life event or upon contract renewal. |
No |
|
|
|
No |
No |
No |
No
|
No |
|
Pension plan (cost sharing between grant and staff member) |
In accordance with the provisions of the Pension Benefits Act as may be amended from time to time. As of the date of this policy, staff who have accumulated two years of full-time continuous employment or 35% of the yearly maximum pensionable income level under the CPP, or 700 hours of work in each year, are eligible to the University of Ottawa Pension Plan and can choose to participate to it. If a staff member chooses to participate in the University of Ottawa Pension Plan, the employer must provide its contributions and the cost will be attributable to the research grant or contract. |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
|
Eligibility for salary support while on maternity and parental leave is generally determined by the terms and conditions governing the research grant or contract. Costs associated with maternity and parental leaves are not eligible to be covered under most research grants or contracts. As such, and unless such costs are eligible under the research grant or contract from which a person is remunerated, staff members will be required to rely on the regular benefits provided under the Employment Insurance Program. However, the provisions of the Employment Standards Act will continue to apply, including the requirement to keep the position of the person available until the end of the original employment contract.
Annual leave accrues during a maternity / parental leave until the end of the employment contract.
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes, if eligible under the research grant or contract from which a person is remunerated |
No |
|
Tuition fee support program |
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes, as per the terms of Policy 22. |
No |
|
Second mortgage for the purchase of a house |
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
|
Severance costs |
Under the Employment Standards Act of Ontario, employers must pay a severance allowance to employees with more than five years of continuous service who lose their jobs for reason other than cause. |
No |
No |
No |
Yes, if more than five years of continuous service |
Rules of short-, medium- or long-term employees apply.
|
|
Anniversaries and retirements |
Policy 81 applies, except that the reception/gift is optional on the part of the faculty/service. |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
c) Salary increases
Medium- and long-term staff are eligible to the same salary increases given to term non-unionized staff members of the University on their contract anniversary date, subject to the performance of the employee.
INTERPRETATION
The Associate Vice-President, Human Resources is responsible for the application of this policy.
EXCEPTION
No exception may be made to this policy without the written consent of the Vice-President, Resources.
Revised February 21, 2012
(Human Resources)