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October 29, 2019 Newsletters

Newsletter – October 2019

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// Medical and dental appointments

The NBTF has received several questions regarding the interpretation of the Article 31.10 of the Collective Agreement with respect to medical and dental appointments.

Article 31.10 

A teacher will make every reasonable effort to schedule his/her own medical or dental appointments outside the hours of instruction. When this is not possible, sick leave shall be granted for his/her own medical or dental appointments within a teacher’s hours of instruction. The teacher shall notify the Employer of the time of the appointment as soon as the appointment is confirmed.

The NBTF and the Employer agree that teachers may use their sick days for these types of appointments. Teachers are required to advise the Employer of the date, time and location (city) of the appointment.  It is understood that a medical note cannot be requested by the Employer to confirm the absence. In addition, if the appointment falls on a day when the school is closed, the teacher will not lose their sick day.

With respect to sick leave, the Employer may require a medical note at any time, and the interpretation with respect to school closure remains unchanged and is as follows: If there is a school closure the day a teacher had called in sick, the day will be deducted as a sick day.

However, if the teacher is in school the day previous to the day of a school closure or the day following the closure, then it will be assumed that the teacher would have been at work on the day of the closure. A sick day will not be deducted in such a situation. For example, if the school is closed on a Thursday and the teacher was absent for health reasons on the Wednesday but is at work on the Friday, then it is assumed that the teacher would have been at work on the Thursday, which was the day of the closure. The day will not be deducted as a sick day.

For any teacher who is on sick leave both on the day before and the day after a school closure, it is assumed that the teacher would not have been at work on the day of the closure. That day will then be deducted from the teacher’s accumulated sick leave.

If you have any questions about these interpretations, you can contact the NBTF at 1-888-679-7044.

// If Named in a Formal Complaint

There are times when the Employer may request a teacher to meet and answer questions, either with staff or a third-party investigator.  Examples are investigations under Policy 701 or the Respectful Workplace Policy.  

Every investigation is different, and no single set of rules or tips applies to all situations. However, there are some general concepts that NBTF members should remember whether you or someone else is the focus of an investigation. 

Firstly, that the interview itself is not a form of discipline.  

Also, a reassignment with pay is not disciplinary. If you, or a member you know has been reassigned home with pay, that simply means that the employer wants to protect the integrity of the process surrounding an incident before placing a teacher back into the workplace.

Finally, if you are in a situation where the employer wants to investigate your conduct, you are entitled to be represented by the NBTF and you should take advantage of that.

If you have any questions or are named in a formal complaint, please contact the NBTF Labour Relations Officer assigned to your district at 506-452-1736 or 1-888-679-7044. 

// Supply Teachers, Come Talk with Your Federation!

The New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation (NBTF), in collaboration with the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association (NBTA) and the Association des enseignantes et enseignants francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (AEFNB), is organizing meetings exclusively with supply teachers around the province so they can express their views and ask their questions freely. These meetings are part of our ongoing effort to build a relationship with each member.

The NBTF is seeking assistance from all teachers in order to promote and share the information on those meetings with supply teachers they know.

For more information, please see the following document: Meetings with Supply Teachers

 

For access to the PDF version of the newsletter, please click here.
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