TTUTA Industrial Relations Issues

TTUTA - Trinidad & Tobago Unified Teachers' Association
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Industrial Relations | You Are Viewing: Extended Sick Leave

Some Clarifications on EXTENDED SICK LEAVE
BY MATTHEW JAMES Industrial Relations Officer (North)

THE Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) has received numerous complaints from teachers re Extended Sick Leave. One of the frequent complaints is that teachers on extended sick leave is that where they expected leave with pay, they were granted such leave at half pay or with no pay. This article presents some clarifications about extended sick leave and associated pay issues.

Extended sick leave is leave granted after a Teacher has used up fourteen (14) days sick leave in any calendar year. The Chief Personnel Officer's guidelines re Extended Sick Leave are as follows:

Extended Sick Leave is at the option of the Permanent Secretary;
Different types of illnesses attract periods of full pay, half pay or no pay;
Cancer, Paralysis, Brain Tumor, Heart, Mental Illness and Kidney disease attract the highest period of paid extended sick leave i.e. Six months at full pay followed by six months at half pay;
The more severe the illness, the higher the period allocated and benefits accruing to the teacher;
However medical conditions, problems or ailments and viral illnesses attract extended sick leave without pay.

For a teacher to qualify for extended sick leave the medical certificate must be signed or countersigned by a Government Medical Officer. In all cases the exact nature of the illness or surgery must be specified. Failure to do so will result in the grating of extended sick leave with no pay.

Some teachers rightly claim that the nature of their illness is a confidential matter between them and their doctors. But if the exact nature of the illness is not stated on the medical, then the teacher is entitled to extended sick leave without pay.

Where the teacher suffers from a communicable disease including measles, small pox, red-eye, or where the teacher suffers from gastroenteritis or vertigo, stress, migrane, or lower back pain; full or half pay may be granted depending on the age, sick leave record and medical history of the officer.

Teachers must make sure that the medical certificate is signed or countersigned by a Government Medical Officer. They must also ensure that the exact nature of the illness is stated on the medical certificate.

Please feel free to e-mail or call the Industrial Relations Department of the Association for any clarification needed.