The aim of this paper is to clarify whether prior service at other organisations and institutions is recognised by UNSW for the purpose of long service leave accrual.

POLICY

In certain circumstances, UNSW may recognise service with other institutions for the purposes of long service leave.

Academic Staff

Clause 29.4 of the UNSW (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2006 states that prior service will be recognised, as follows:

"Prior service with any institute of higher education in Australia as defined in section 4 of the Higher Education Act (NSW) 1975 will be recognised for any employee appointed on or after 1 June 1988, for the purpose of determining long service leave eligibility (except to the extent that long service leave was paid out by the previous institution). Service with the Universities of the South Pacific or Papua New Guinea, or the Papua New Guinea Institute of Technology or any recognised University in New Zealand, may also be recognised for determining long service leave eligibility."

General Staff

Clause 37.0 of the UNSW (General Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2006 states that prior service will be recognised, as follows:

"(d) For persons entering employment with the University on or after 1 January 1974, eligibility for long service leave will be determined taking into account prior continuous full-time and part-time paid service with other Australian universities in accordance with the provisions in place the day before the commencement of this Agreement. A copy of the provisions will be in an easily accessible location on the University's website."

For all staff

Prior service at overseas universities will not be recognised for determining long service leave eligibility except for service with the universities of the South Pacific or Papua New Guinea, or the Papua New Guinea Institute of Technology, or any recognised university in New Zealand.

Prior service at other Australian universities will be recognised under the following conditions:

• General staff appointed on or after 1 January 1974 and academic staff appointed on or after 1 June 1988 can receive credit for service at other Australian universities;
• Recognition of service prior to 1 January 1974 will not exceed 5 years;
• There must be continuity of employment between all university positions, however a break of up to 2 months will be accepted;
• When recognising prior service, credit may be given for long service leave of less than 10 years. UNSW does not accept liability for long service leave earned with a previous employer of more than 10 years.
• Recognition of prior service does not apply to a staff member accepting casual employmentat UNSW;
• Casual employment at other Australian universities is not recognised;
• All full-time and part-time prior service at UNSW, irrespective of the break in service is recognised.

It should be noted that conditions which determine whether service will be recognised by UNSW may vary significantly from case to case and staff should contact Human Resources for further information.

Applications for Recognition of Prior Service for Long Service Leave

Applications for the recognition of prior service must be made in writing and should be submitted to Human Resources as early as possible after commencing employment with UNSW.

Notice Period Required to Take Long Service Leave

Staff are required to serve at least 3 years with UNSW before being permitted to take long service leave recognised for prior service.

For a staff member wishing to take long service leave, a leave application must be submitted via myUNSW

Academics who wish to take long service leave, in accordance with the UNSW (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2006, should submit a written application to the relevant supervisor at least six months prior to when the leave will be taken. Where an academic has an entitlement to take long service leave, he/she may take the leave when he/she chooses provided that six months notice has been given.

Although there is no equivalent provision for general staff in the UNSW (General Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2006, it is expected that general staff will provide a similar period of notice.

The overarching principle in relation to all UNSW staff is that long service leave should be taken at a time that is mutually convenient to both the staff member and the University.