CUPE Health Care Workers' Council of Unions

LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING #4

BETWEEN

SASKATCHEWAN ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS

AND

THE CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Re: Variable Hours

Whereas the Employer and the Local of the Union agree to a full-time Employee's request for variable hours, the following terms and conditions shall apply:

1. Purpose

Variable hours are intended to allow a permanent full-time Employee to work less than regular full-time hours in their position while maintaining status as a permanent Employee. It is intended to better accommodate the hours of work of the Employee to their personal needs where operationally feasible.

2. Initiation and Approval Process

Only the permanent full-time incumbent of the position can initiate a request to establish a variable hours arrangement.

A permanent full-time Employee, not on probation or trial, may make written application to temporarily reduce hours of work by 20%, 40%, 50% or 60% or where a % cannot be established, specific shifts may be identified. This applies to "whole" shifts only. The request may be approved subject to the following guidelines.

Application for variable hours form is filled out by the permanent full time Employee wishing to temporarily reduce hours and forwarded to the Employer and the Local of the Union. The application must be submitted providing at least twenty-one (21) days of notice prior to the proposed effective date of the reduction.

The proposal will be reviewed by the Local of the Union and the Employer to determine their approval.

The remaining hours must be posted and filled in accordance with Article 21.03 -Temporary Vacancies.

The application form will be signed by the Employer and the Local of the Union and an implementation date will be established upon filling the temporary vacancy.

Requests shall not be considered/approved where the reduction is for purposes relating to other employment or to avoid non-preferred work hours.

3. Duration and Termination

The variable hours of work requested shall be for a minimum of four (4) months, to a maximum of twelve (12) months.

The Employer or the Employee, through the Local of the Union may cancel the variable hours of work arrangement by providing twenty-eight (28) calendar days written notice.

4. Terms and Conditions

For the duration of the variable hour arrangement, Employee participants will be considered as part-time Employees with respect to collective agreement and benefit provisions.

At the conclusion of the Variable Working Hours assignment, the incumbent who is the original owner of the permanent position will return to his/her normal schedule.

Should the Employee who fills the temporary part-time position in the variable hours work arrangement vacate the position during the variable working hours arrangement, the permanent incumbent of the original position will immediately revert back to his/her permanent status until such time as the temporary position is posted and filled for the remainder of the temporary period.

Should the Employee who is the incumbent of the permanent original position vacate during the variable hour's arrangement, the temporary part-time Employee shall be governed by Article 21.03 c) d). The permanent full-time vacancy shall then be posted.

The permanent Employee shall not have access to Article 26.04 Assignment of Relief Work or 26.12 Overtime by Seniority. The relief Employee in the temporary position, may work additional relief hours and may be called to work overtime in accordance with Article 26.12.

In the event that either party wishes to terminate this Agreement, that party shall give twenty-eight (28) days written notice to the other party.

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CUPE Health Care Workers' Council of Unions
3725E Eastgate Drive
Regina, Sask
S4X 1A5

Phone: 1-306-546-2185
Fax: 306-781-8177
Email: Gordon Campbell, President