Employer must indicate denial of vacation requests in writing

Article 17.03 of the UNA Provincial Collective Agreement states that all vacation earned during one vacation year shall be taken during the next following vacation year at a mutually agreeable time.

At most UNA sites, the Employer must inform the employee of approval or denial of their requests on the vacation planner by April 30.

Under Article 17.03 (b) (ii) the Employer must indicate approval or denial of the vacation request in writing within 14 days of the request.

In addition, it is management’s job to find a replacement. The vacation planner is intended to assist the Employer with that task. So Employees should not be required to find their own replacement in order to have their vacation approved.

If there is a delay in the approval beyond the deadline, or if the employer says it is pending, the employee should consider their vacation denied and initiate a grievance immediately.

Grievances should be filed within 10 days (excluding weekends and named holidays) of April 30 or from the day you were informed of vacation decisions, whichever is earlier.

For more information, contact your UNA local executive or your UNA Labour Relations Advisor at 1-800-252-9394.