1. Every female teacher shall be entitled to maternity leave and every teacher shall be entitled to adoptive leave in accordance with this Article.
2. Every teacher shall be entitled to unpaid parental leave.
3. Except as otherwise provided therein the Manitoba Employment Standards Code will apply.
4. In addition, the Board shall, upon written request, grant further maternity/adoptive/parental leave up to an additional eighteen (18) months provided that the termination of such leaves coincides with either the first day of the Fall Term, the first day of school after January 1st, the first day of school after Spring break, or in the case of a teacher returning to a secondary school, the first day of the second semester.
5. The condition of the maternity/adoptive/parental leave shall be determined by the teacher and the Board to their mutual satisfaction.
6. The Board shall provide the teacher and the Association with a copy of the agreement reached in 5) above prior to the commencement of maternity/adoptive/parental leave.
7. Maternity/Adoptive/Parental Leave shall not constitute a break in employment for teachers under Teacher-General contracts or teachers under Limited Teacher-General contracts offered continued employment by the Division.
8. Upon expiry of the maternity/adoptive/parental leave, the teacher shall be reinstated in the position occupied by her/him at the time such leave commenced or in a comparable position prior to maternity/adoptive/parental leave.
9. A teacher taking maternity leave pursuant to this Article shall receive pay for the period of leave up to seventeen (17) weeks in the amount of ninety percent (90%) of the salary being received at the time leave was taken, this pay to include any benefits received from Human Resources Development Canada to a Supplemental Employment Benefits (SEB) Plan. The implementation of this clause is subject to the successful arrangement of a Supplemental Employment Benefits Plan with Human Resources Development Canada.
10. In respect of the period of maternity leave, payments made according to the SEB Plan will consist of the following:
(a) For the first two weeks, payment equivalent to ninety percent (90%) of her gross salary, and
(b) Up to fifteen (15) additional week’s payment equivalent to the difference between the Employment Insurance benefits the employee is eligible to receive and ninety percent (90%) of her gross salary.
11. A teacher taking parental or adoptive leave shall receive pay for the period of leave up to ten (10) weeks of payment equivalent to the difference between the payment from HRDC and 90% of his/her salary. The ten weeks includes any waiting period required for employment insurance benefits.