A member of The Winnipeg Teachers’ Association shall be excused from school duties to attend meetings of the Association or of The Manitoba Teachers' Society or to act as an official representative of the Association or of the Society for not more than a total of five (5) teaching days in any school year provided that a substitute satisfactory to the Division has been secured and that the cost of providing the substitute plus 10 per centum (10%) is assumed by the Association or the Society. No additional leave of absence shall be taken for the above-mentioned purposes except with the consent of the Division. Leave of absence from school duties for the purpose of collective bargaining, including arbitration, with the Division, shall not be counted. When, for the purpose of negotiating a Collective Agreement with the Division or renewal thereof, meetings with the representatives of the Association are convened during regular working hours of the Association's members, the Division will grant leave, with salary at the applicable rates set out herein, for not more than six (6) members of the Association attending such meetings. Negotiations for the purposes of this section shall not include conciliation or arbitration proceedings.
A teacher employed by the Division who is elected President of the Association or President or Vice-President of The Manitoba Teachers' Society shall at the termination of the teacher's leave of absence return to the same position the teacher formally held provided the teacher has on or before April 1st in the year of the leave advised the Superintendent of Schools in writing of the teacher's intention to return to the position at the commencement of the next teaching year. If the teacher fails to inform the Division in writing of the teacher's intention to return, the Division shall not be required to assign the teacher to the teacher's former position with the Division and the Division is relieved of any obligation to the teacher in this respect.
If a position held by the President prior to taking a leave of absence will no longer exist when the teacher resumes employment with the Division, the Division will offer the teacher another position which will be as similar to the previous position held by the teacher as can be reasonably established.