All Victorian employers need to be aware of the significant changes to long service leave entitlements to commence by 1st November, 2018.

Please take the time to ensure your business is compliant.

 

Entitlement to Long Service Leave

• An employee is entitled to take long service leave after 7 years of continuous service with one employer. 

(Prior to 1st November, 2018 the term was 10 years)

 

Flexibility in Long Service Leave Periods

• Changes to request for long service leave

An employee is entitled to request long service leave for a period of not less than 1 day, where an employer must grant an employee’s request to take long service leave as soon as practicable after receiving the request unless there are reasonable business grounds to refuse.

 

Continuity of Employment

• Unpaid parental leave

Any period of unpaid parental leave up to 52 weeks will count as service, where any period beyond 52 weeks will not count as service but will not break continuity of employment.

• Employment ending by resignation or termination

The employment is taken to be continuous despite an absence from work caused by termination of the employment at the initiative of the employer or the employee (ie. resignation), if the employee is re-employed by the employer within 12 weeks after cessation of employment.

Calculation of Leave 

• Change of hours

If an employee’s working hours have changed during the last 104 weeks (2 years) immediately before taking long service leave, the employee’s normal weekly number of hours is the greater of: the average weekly hours worked over the past 52 weeks (1 year), 260 weeks (5 years) or the last period of continuous employment.

If you need clarification on any of these changes, please contact the PRA Accounting team. Tel: 5221 7655