Possible Increase to Sick Leave Entitlement

The Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill 2020 (Bill) was introduced on 1 December 2020. The Bill proposes to increase employee sick leave entitlements from five days to ten. The increased entitlement would be given to employees on the date that they next are eligible to receive sick leave, which is dependent on when they commenced employment.

It is important to note that the number of sick days that can be carried over has been decreased to ten, meaning that the most sick days an employee can accrue is still 20.

The Bill has passed its First Reading and is currently in the Select Committee stage, with the Select Committee’s report due on 1 April 2021. We will provide a further update later this year if the Bill is passed. If you have any questions about leave entitlements or any general employment queries please contact Claire McCool and Deborah Hendry.