Q. How much vacation can I carry over from year to year?
A. Not all Collective agreements have language that allows for carryover of vacation
1) As per Article 13 – Vacation of the HSAS/SAHO Collective Agreement, you are entitled to carry over all vacation hours accrued in the current vacation year plus five (5) days earned in previous vacation years.
For example: The Saskatchewan Health Authority’s fiscal year runs from April 1 of one year up to and including March 31 of the following year.
On the first day of a new fiscal year – in this case, April 1, 2024, the maximum amount of vacation that you can have in your bank is all of the vacation you earned in the fiscal year of April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024 PLUS five (5) days earned vacation credits from previous vacation years.
You are entitled to carry over those 5 days. Your Employer may ask you to indicate your intention to do so, but you do not need their permission.
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2) As per Article 15.09 – Vacation Carryover of the HSAS/NEEMS Collective Agreement
15.09 Vacation Carryover
An Employee shall be entitled to carry over all vacation credits earned in the current fiscal year (ending March 31st), plus five (5) days (57.5 hours) from previous years.
Q. How much vacation can be carried over for members that were previously covered by the CUPE 600 or SGEU/PSC Agreements?
A. As per Appendix A – Vacation Provision for Former PSC Employees of the HSAS/SAHO Collective Agreement, you are entitled to carry over five days unless you get permission from your employer to carry-over more.
Q: I had vacation booked, but my manager told me I may have to cancel. What should I do?
Q. Can I utilize my seniority to select when I take my remaining vacation time?
A. As per Article 13.05 – Vacation Selection (a) you may exercise your seniority for your first selection of an unbroken vacation period provided you submit your selection by March 1 each year.
All other requests for vacation would be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Q. When will I know if my annual vacation was approved?
A. As per Article 13.06 – Posting Vacation Selection of the HSAS/SAHO Collective Agreement, the employer must post a vacation schedule by March 15th.
If it is after March 15th, and you do not know if your vacation was approved, please contact Labour Relations here.
Q. I am the most senior HSAS member in our department. Last year I asked for 4 consecutive weeks of vacation, but my manager refused to give it to me. I thought I was entitled to take my pick ‘unbroken’?
A. If you make your selection by March 1 and you are the senior member for that vacation period and it is your first (1st) selection, you are entitled to receive that specific vacation selection unbroken. Article 13.05 Vacation Selection (a) of the HSAS/SAHO Collective Agreement states:
(a) Annual vacation shall be regulated on a mutually agreed basis within the workplace. In cases of disagreement, seniority shall govern in the Employee’s first selection of an unbroken period of vacation. However, when annual vacations are split, seniority shall only govern in that first selection as indicated by the employee. In order for an Employee to exercise her rights she must make her vacation selection by March 1 of each year.
If you require assistance, please contact Labour Relations here.
Q. Last year, I didn’t book/request all my vacation time by March 1st, so I had days left to use. When I asked for those, it took weeks before my manager answered me with denial. Is that allowed?
A. No. Article 13.05 – Vacation Selection (b) of the Collective Agreement states that if the Employer is denying your vacation request, you must be provided with the written reasons within ten days of the Employer receiving that request or prior to the requested vacation, whichever is earlier.
If you have concerns, please contact Labour Relations here.