Dear Reader,

Is it just me, or does it seem like all anyone is taking about lately are the new modern awards?

It makes sense though – I mean, even though the modern awards are due to start on 1 January 2010 (that’s less than a month away!) there have been several last minute changes to them. No wonder it’s such a talking point!

Well, don’t stress…Charles has put together a great article today that will update you on exactly what you need to know about modern awards before they come in next year.

Now here’s a question for you…

Can an employee take paid leave for a religious event?

This was the subject of a recent subscriber question, so I thought I’d look into it and share my findings with you.

Here’s the query I received:

Dear Workplace Helpdesk,

Is an employee entitled to take special paid leave for a religious event? Or can it be deducted form their annual leave entitlement?

How would you respond if an employee asked you this question?

Well, I put the question to our legal panel on Monday and here’s what they told me:

Generally speaking, employees are not entitled to special paid leave for religious events, although some awards and collective agreements allow for this. An employee could use either annual or unpaid leave (at your discretion).

In order to avoid a discrimination complaint, you should not decline an employee’s request to use annual or unpaid leave for the purpose of attending a religious event unless you have very sound business reasons for declining.

For those of you that don’t know, the Workplace Helpdesk is a great service that you can access if you are a subscriber to the Employment Law Practical Handbook. Simply e-mail us all your employment law questions and receive an answer from our lawyers within 72 hours – for free!

Right now, you can take a free 14 day trial of the Employment Law Practical Handbook – we’ll send you a copy to review for free. If you like it, pay our invoice, if not – send it back.

For more information on the Employment Law Practical Handbook, and to claim your 14-day free trial, click here.

Until next time…

Claire

Tags: Employment Law Practical Handbook, entitlements, leave, modern awards, paid leave, religious event, Workplace Helpdesk