Leave

  1. Table of contents

Annual leave year

The annual leave year is 01 January to 31 December for Craft & SJC employees.

Annual leave (Craft & SJC - Non school based/Non term time)

Annual leave must be applied for and approved in advance. Requests for annual leave will be considered based on service needs.

Annual leave entitlement

Your annual leave entitlement is based on the amount of continuous service at the beginning of each leave year as detailed below.

We calculate annual leave in hours. The amounts of leave shown below are based on a full time (37 hours per week) employee. For those working 7.4 hours (7 hours and 24 minutes) per day the equivalent amount of days is shown for information only. For alternative working patterns, pro rata leave entitlements will be calculated.

Annual leave (Craft & SJC: Non-school based/Non term time)

This entitlement includes the additional day of annual leave as agreed in the SJC/Craft pay award 2022/23.

Number of years of continuous years service Annual leave entitlement Annual leave entitlement
- Hours (37 hour FTE)
0 27 199.8
1 28 207.2
2 29 214.6
3 30 222
4 31 229.4
5 32 236.8
10 34 251.6

Annual leave entitlements are calculated centrally using the HR/Payroll system each year and will be available before the start of the new leave year.

Your annual leave entitlement is available to view and book through MyView. Guidance on this can be found on the MyView pages. You can now use MyView from your own device at home.

Don't have access? Sign up!

For those who haven't used MyView before, signing up is quick and easy. Simply send an email from your chosen email address to myview-selfservice@falkirk.gov.uk confirming:

  • your name
  • employee number
  • national insurance number

A member of the HR Systems & Payroll team will then be in touch to verify your details. Once your account is activated you'll be able to login whenever you want.

If you do not use MyView, you should apply to your line manager for annual leave.

If you leave or join Falkirk Council during the leave year, your annual leave entitlement will be based on your completed service during the leave year. This includes your entitlement to public holidays. This can be calculated using the annual leave hours calculator.

Annual leave hours calculator
XLSX file, 36.7 KB

If you work part-time, compressed or annualised hours, please contact the MyView Project Team (myview-selfservice@falkirk.gov.uk) if you do not have your public holiday entitlement added on or your entitlement does not appear as you expect. Part-time and compressed hours employees must request on MyView any public holidays which fall on their scheduled working days based on their working pattern.

Term time employees

Annual leave for term-time employees will be calculated pro-rata to actual weeks worked and is paid as part of your salary. Your annual leave is taken during school holiday periods.

If you wish to request time off during term time, this will be unpaid leave and will need to be approved by your service manager/Headteacher. Requests will be considered in exceptional circumstances and subject to service requirements/needs.

The SJC 2022/23 pay award included an additional day of annual leave. For Term Time employees, this additional day (pro rata) will be offered, subject to approval as an additional day off during term time. This will reduce your number of working days, with the option of taking the day flexibly on one of the agreed In Service days (generally excluding August). This will be subject to line manager approval. A code has been set up in MyView under Paid Special Leave to allow you to request this additional day of leave (pro rata) each year.

The calculation for this is:

  • 7.4 (FTE for 1 day's leave) / 37 hours (FTE) x working hours per week = extra hours leave due

If you are not entitled to enough hours to take the full day off, this should be discussed and agreed with your manager as to how the hours will be made up.

Some services have specific arrangements such as Catering and Cleaning, Early Years and School Crossing Patrol, in these areas, a day will be nominated annually from the in service dates. If you do not normally work on the nominated day, you should speak to your manager about taking an alternative in service day off (pro rata). If this is not possible, an alternate day should be agreed with your manager.

Illness when on annual leave

If you become ill during a period of annual leave, you will only be able to claim back annual leave if you follow the normal notification procedures, and provide a doctor's (Med3) certificate covering the whole period of your absence evidencing that your illness would have caused you to be unfit for work. In these circumstances, sick leave will start from the date of your doctor's certificate. You should note that your doctor is likely to charge for providing a certificate, and that you will be responsible for paying for this.

If you provide a self certificate while sick during annual leave, you will not be able to claim annual leave back, unless it is linked to a period covered by a medical certificate. A self certificate should be provided along with the medical certificate.

For SJC and Craft employees public holidays which occur during a period of sickness absence cannot be claimed back.

Abatement of leave

For SJC and Craft employees, if you have an absence which lasts over 3 months, your annual leave will be limited to an amount pro-rated to the period of actual service given during the year, as long as:

  • The period of annual leave granted in a full leave year does not fall below the statutory minimum of 28 days (pro rata for part-time). This can include public holidays which fall before or after your period of sickness absence, and

  • Annual leave which would otherwise have been lost because of the sickness absence is to be used to facilitate a phased return.

Please email hrhelpdesk@falkirk.gov.uk who will carry out the calculations and notify payroll.

Annual leave - Carry over

A maximum of one working weeks annual leave can normally be carried forward from one annual leave year to the next (pro rata for part-time employees). For MyView users, this will happen automatically unless your manager confirms that your leave should not be carried over. This leave should normally be taken in the first 3 months of the new leave year.

Annual leave - Termination of employment

If you are leaving the council, where possible, you should take your outstanding annual leave before the end of your notice period.

If you have taken too much leave before you finish then we will deduct the amount of hours overtaken from your final salary.

If your final salary does not cover the whole deduction, you will be required to repay the outstanding amount within one month of your leaving date.

Public holidays (Craft & SJC - Non school based)

A total of 8 days throughout the year are recognised as public holidays, as detailed below:

  • 2 days at New Year
  • 2 days at Easter
  • 2 days at Christmas
  • 2 other dates to be defined

The specific dates will be notified/confirmed annually. Public holiday entitlement is pro rata to hours worked. For part-time and compressed hours employees, public holidays are included in their entitlement in MyView. Part-time and compressed hours employees must request on MyView any public holidays which fall on their scheduled working days based on their working pattern.

2024 Dates

  • January 1st & 2nd
  • March 29th
  • April 1st
  • May 6th
  • September 9th
  • December 25th & 26th

2025 dates

  • January 1st & 2nd
  • April 18th & 21st
  • May 5th
  • September 8th
  • December 25th & 26th

Cleaners take the public holidays appropriate to the offices/buildings where they are based.

Public holidays (SJC school based)

School based employees receive 14 fixed holidays (including 8 public holidays) and 20 days minimum annual leave, increasing to 27* days after 10 years. Holidays for term time working are calculated pro-rata to actual weeks.

*The day (pro rata) awarded as part of the SJC 2022/23 Pay Award is in addition to the above arrangements. This day can be taken in line with service arrangements on one of the 4 in-service days, although some specific dates may be identified for particular groups. Arrangements are available from line managers.

2024 Dates

  • January 1st, 2nd & 3rd*
  • February 9th* & 12th*
  • March 29th
  • April 1st
  • May 6th
  • September 9th
  • December 25th, 26th, 27th*, 30th* & 31st*

2025 dates

  • January 1st, 2nd & 3rd
  • February 14th & 17th
  • April 18th & 21st
  • May 5th
  • September 8th
  • December 24th, 25th, 26th, 29th & 30th

* denotes a fixed term time holiday

Cleaners take the public holidays appropriate to the offices/buildings where they are based.

Public holidays for part-time workers

For part-time employees, public holidays are included in their entitlement in MyView.

Part-time employees must request on MyView any public holidays which fall on their scheduled working days based on their working pattern.

Public holiday entitlement for new starters and leavers

When an employee starts/leaves the Council during the course of the year, public holiday entitlement should be calculated to reflect actual days worked. For part-time employees, public holidays are included in their entitlement in MyView. For full-time employees this needs to be managed manually and if they do not have enough public holiday entitlement the remainder should be taken from their annual leave entitlement.

For full time employees using MyView who start or join during the course of the year, please use the Annual leave hours calculator to calculate the entitlement.

For leavers, the public holidays taken before the leaving date must be taken from the leave balance and if there is not enough balance to cover this, this must be noted on the termination form to allow the appropriate deduction from final salary.

For those not on MyView, the Annual leave hours calculator should be used. Part-time employees should have their entitlement to public holidays calculated to reflect their working hours and added to their annual leave entitlement to give a total for the year.

Annual leave hours calculator
XLSX file, 36.7 KB

Special leave

Approval of special leave

Approval for the special leave situations detailed below must be sought from the relevant Service Manager. Requests for special leave outwith these specified situations may be considered on an exceptional basis. This would require Chief Officer approval, following consultation with Human Resources. All requests are subject to the needs of the service.

For the purposes of the leave detailed below, pay includes any regular payment made under the contractual provisions of an employee's terms and conditions of employment.

Compassionate/Bereavement leave

If you are involved in making the funeral arrangements for a near relative or partner you will receive a maximum of 5 working days special leave with pay.

If you are involved in making the funeral arrangements for a close friend, you will receive a maximum of 3 working days special leave with pay.

If you are not involved in making the funeral arrangements and only require to attend the funeral of a relative or close friend, you will receive time off with pay for whatever period is necessary to travel to and from and attend the funeral. If the funeral is some distance away, your manager will need to agree what is appropriate in the circumstances.

The above periods may be extended by the Service Manager in consultation with Human Resources.

Health

You will be entitled to take such reasonable time off without loss of pay as is required for the purposes of preventative medical examinations.

Jury duty/Prosecution witness

If you have received a summons to serve on a jury or to attend as a witness for the prosecution you must tell your line manager and will be granted special leave with pay to attend, unless an exemption is secured.

Where an allowance for attending is available, you should make such a claim. Any payment for special leave under this category will be subject to deduction of any pay or allowances paid by the court. You will get a form from the court and Payroll will provide you with information to allow you to make a claim.

If you are required to attend as a witness for the accused, you will only be granted special leave with pay to attend if you are required to attend on Council business. Otherwise appropriate reimbursement should be sought by the employee from the party requesting their attendance and the leave would be unpaid.

Public duties

Paid leave of absence will be granted if you are serving on public bodies or undertaking public duties.

Special leave with pay should be granted if you are a:

  • Justice of the Peace
  • Member of a Statutory Tribunal
  • Member of a Local Authority
  • Member of a Children's Panel
  • Member of a School Board within the Falkirk Council area
  • Member of the Scottish Joint Council or involved in Scottish Council affairs

Special leave without pay should be granted if you are a member of a:

  • Health Board
  • School or College Board
  • Board of Visitors for Prisons and Young Offender Institutions
  • School Board outwith the Falkirk Council area
  • Governing Body of a Central Institution, College of Education, Scottish Environmental Agency, or a Community Council

You should claim loss of earnings, and other allowances in accordance with the appropriate Regulations.

Service in non-regular forces/Volunteering for reserves'

If you are a member of the non-regular forces and attend an annual training camp you will be granted special leave with pay for 5-15 working days for the actual days you attend the camp.

Any service pay and allowances received in respect of the period of special leave will be deducted from your normal pay.

Sporting activities

If you are participating in sporting activities at a representative national level, you will receive up to 5 working days paid leave per year (pro-rata for part-time) as long as you have made reasonable use of your annual leave in meeting the recreational commitments.

In exceptional cases, your service manager may authorise additional unpaid leave if the 5 working days per year are insufficient.

Summer camps

Special leave without pay, should be granted, up to a maximum of 5 working days, per year for attendance at official summer camp events with organisations such as Scouts, Guides etc.

Retained fire fighters

Retained fire fighters receive a retainer from the appropriate Fire Board each quarter and receive payments for call outs. Although no deduction will be made from an employees salary for attending a call out, paid time will not be provided for training purposes.

Trade Union duties and activities

Special leave with/without pay should be granted to officials and representatives in order for them to carry out trade union duties and activities. More detail on this can be found in the Time off for Trade Union Duties and Activities Policy.

Unpaid leave

Unpaid leave in any of the instances above may impact on your pensionable pay, please see Falkirk Council Pension Fund (non teaching) or SPPA (teachers) for more information.