EDUCATION Department staff who were forced to stay at home and care for their children on Monday because of heavy snowfall and subsequent school closures are being refused paid leave, unions say.
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Australian Education Union state manager Roz Marsden said staff were entitled to carer leave in unexpected emergencies but the Education Department had found that this did not apply in bad weather or for the sole purpose of looking after children.
She said this was despite Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Greg Johannes emailing department heads on Tuesday, including education secretary Colin Pettit, to encourage a flexible approach in the adverse weather.
Departmental Services deputy secretary Robert Williams said that no leave application had been rejected.
‘‘Principals and managers are managing staff absences locally, and this includes cases where paid leave may be appropriate and can be approved,’’ he said.
Ms Marsden said a dispute had been lodged with the Tasmanian Industrial Commission.
‘‘It is our view that when schools are shut at the last minute because of snow and they have a caring responsibility, they should be able to access this leave to do so,’’ Ms Marsden said.
‘‘Other agencies in the public sector have been given the authority to use their personal leave for exactly this purpose. The department is on its own with this quite harsh interpretation.’’
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey said employees should not be fearful of losing wages when it was unsafe for them to go to work. ‘‘When you have once-in-25-year weather situation and it is clearly unsafe for people to go in to work, and it is beyond their control if kids can’t go to school because schools are closed, there is a moral obligation for employers to help out,’’ he said.