Maternity/Paternity Leave Solely for purposes of determining whether the Employee incurs a Break in Service under any provision of this Plan, the Advisory Committee must credit Hours of Service during an Employee's unpaid absence period due to maternity or paternity leave. The Advisory Committee considers an Employee on maternity or paternity leave if the Employee's absence is due to the Employee's pregnancy, the birth of the Employee's child, the placement with the Employee of an adopted child, or the care of the Employee's child immediately following the child's birth or placement. The Advisory Committee credits Hours of Service under this paragraph on the basis of the number of Hours of Service the Employee would receive if he were paid during the absence period or, if the Advisory Committee cannot determine the number of Hours of Service the Employee would receive, on the basis of 8 hours per day during the absence period. The Advisory Committee will credit only the number (not exceeding 501) of Hours of Service necessary to prevent an Employee's Break in Service. The Advisory Committee credits all Hours of Service described in this paragraph to the computation period in which the absence period begins or, if the Employee does not need these Hours of Service to prevent a Break in Service in the computation period in which his absence period begins, the Advisory Committee credits these Hours of Service to the immediately following computation period.
Paternity Leave 7.4.6(a) An employee will provide to the employer at least ten weeks prior to each proposed period of paternity leave, with:
Maternity Leave a) An employee who becomes pregnant shall notify the Employer at least two (2) weeks prior to the date on which she plans to begin her maternity leave of her intention to do so. This written notice must include the date on which she intends to begin her maternity leave, and a letter from her doctor indicating the baby’s due date. b) Subject to sub-clause (c) of this clause, an employee who becomes pregnant shall be granted twenty-eight (28) weeks of leave without pay. This leave may begin at any time within seventeen (17) weeks of the baby's due date, and extends beyond the date of the baby’s birth until the twenty-eight (28) weeks have expired. Maternity leave cannot be split. For greater clarity, maternity leave must be taken in a single, unbroken stretch. c) The Employer may: i) upon written request from the employee, defer the commencement of maternity leave without pay of an employee or terminate it before the full twenty-eight (28) weeks have expired. ii) grant maternity leave without pay to an employee to commence earlier than seventeen (17) weeks before the expected termination of her pregnancy. iii) where maternity leave without pay is requested, require an employee to submit a medical certificate certifying pregnancy. d) In the event of complications, including but not limited to premature birth, the mother shall have the option of deferring maternity leave until the child is allowed to leave the hospital to go home. (That portion which is still unused). Return to work under this provision will require one month's notice to the Employer; less notice will be allowed by mutual consent of the employee and the Employer. e) Leave granted under this clause shall be counted in the calculation of "continuous employment" for the purpose of calculating severance pay and vacation leave. Time spent on such leave shall be counted for pay increment purposes. During such leave, the Employer will continue to pay its applicable share of pension and benefit plans. f) An employee who provides the Employer with proof that she has applied for and is eligible to receive employment insurance benefits pursuant to applicable provisions of the Employment Insurance Act, shall be paid a maternity leave allowance in accordance with the Supplementary Employment Benefit Plan. While in receipt of this allowance, the employee shall continue to accumulate annual leave and sick leave credits. g) An applicant under sub-clause (f) of this clause shall sign an agreement with the Employer providing: i) that she will return to work and remain in the Employer's employ for a period of at least six (6) months after her return to work; ii) that she will return to work on the date of the expiry of her maternity leave, unless this date is modified with the Employer's consent. h) Should the employee fail to return to work as per the provisions of sub-clause (g) or for reasons other than death or disability or if the debt is waived by mutual agreement, the employee recognizes that she is indebted to the Employer for the amount received as maternity leave allowance. i) Employees shall have no vested right to payments under the plan, except to payments during a period of unemployment specified in the plan. Payments in respect of guaranteed annual remuneration or in respect of deferred remuneration or severance pay benefits are not reduced or increased by payments under the plan.
Maternity Maternity leaves, not to exceed six (6) months, shall be granted at the request of the employee.