Agreement has been reached on a new initiative pertaining to Term Time. The flexible working options have been revised to include short-term Sabbatical leave arrangements of one month and three months. Previously such leave options were covered under Term Time however it has been decided to improve the offering through a Sabbatical arrangement.

By incorporating the Term Time scheme into Sabbatical, the Union is satisfied that this new Sabbatical initiative will be more advantageous to our members.

The details of the scheme are covered in HR circular 01/06 on Flexible Working Options. The paragraphs relating to new Sabbatical Leave scheme are outlined below however members are asked to refer specifically to HR Circular 01/06 for full details.

Sabbatical leave Option

Sabbatical Leave Pay and General Conditions

· A Sabbatical may be taken for 1 (one), 3 (three), 6 (six) or a maximum of 9 (nine) months.
· An employee may be granted a period of 1 (one) month or 3 (three) months special leave without pay for the purpose of a Sabbatical.  This will be available once only in any 12 (twelve) month period.     
· An employee may avail of the 6 (six) or 9 (nine) month special leave without pay for the purpose of a Sabbatical on a once off basis only during one's career with the Company.
· For the duration of the Sabbatical the Company will fund both the employer's and employee's contribution to the Company Pension Scheme*. No salary or benefit (e.g. VHI, Car or Car Allowance, etc) with the exception of pension will be paid during the period of Sabbatical.
· Once approved, HR Shared Services Centre will provide the Flexible Working applicant with a letter confirming the details of their Flexible Working Option and this should be retained carefully for reference. One copy of the letter must be signed and returned to HR Shared Services Centre prior to commencing a flexible working option.

References to Company Pension Scheme
If you are a member of the Company Defined Benefits Pension Scheme, you will remain a member of the Company Defined Benefit Pension Scheme while on any of the Flexible Working Options. Similarly, if you are a member of the Company Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, you will remain a member of the Company Defined Contributions Pension Scheme while on any of the Flexible Working Options. Please contact HR for any queries.

Main Advantages of new Scheme
· Employees may now apply for leave for any time of the year not just the summer months.
· Because the Term Time scheme has been replaced by the Sabbatical option, applicants do not have to wait for the scheme to be advertised on a yearly basis and may apply in advance.
· The sick leave criterion has been removed.
· For the duration of the Sabbatical the Company will fund both the employer's and employee's contribution to the Company Pension Scheme as detailed above.

Main Considerations
· Sabbatical Leave is open to staff with a minimum of 3 (three) years service.
· It is open to all areas of the Company, however all applications are subject to management approval and business requirements.
· All appeals must be submitted through the Branch.
· A minimum of one month’s leave must be applied for.
· Arrangements for payment of wages and salaries over the 12 month period still applies

To Apply
Individuals interested in the new Sabbatical scheme should complete the Application Form on the Flexible Working Intranet Site or by contacting Freefone 1800 200 103.

A Final Note
The Union anticipates that due to the increased flexibility of the scheme that there will be more applications. In that regard Branch Secretaries are requested to record the following information:
· The number of members who availed of the scheme
· Location
· How absences were covered
· The number of members whose applications were refused