Leave for work related requirements for B.C. government employees

Last updated on April 3, 2024

Leave to obtain passport, visa or foreign travel documents

Excluded employees can take this leave to acquire travel documents needed to travel or relocate to a foreign country for work. Review the Terms and Conditions of Employment for Excluded Employees and Appointees Part 09 – Leave (PDF, 87KB).

Emergency service leave

Leave from work with pay, as required, is granted to employees who are requested by the provincial emergency program or a police authority to assist with emergency operations.

Field crew leave and return to headquarters

Four consecutive days off with pay are offered to employees who are working in the field and whose duties require them to be on travel status for four consecutive weeks or longer.

Specifically, this leave applies to PEA employees, but can also apply to employees in other bargaining units where:

A ministry grants special time off for them to return to headquarters
The employee has been working continuously with the field crew for two weeks or more, away from their headquarters
Efficiency and operational requirements will continue to be met while the employee is taking the leave

An allowance is also granted for ETO component employees in this situation.

License renewal

PEA employees are granted time off with pay in order to obtain a certification or specialized license in two instances:

When changed requirements to their position make it necessary to acquire the certification or special license
To renew a license requiring recurrent certification

Licensing body activity leave

PEA employees holding specialized licenses are able to take leave with pay to participate in activities, such as attending an annual conference hosted by the employee’s licensing body.

A similar type of leave—Leave for Professional Associations/College Duties—is available for employees in the BC Nurses' Union. This leave without pay allows this specific group of employees to attend special membership meetings and annual conferences hosted by professional associations or colleges.

Union business leave

When reasonable written notice is given, employees can be granted time away from work with or without pay to care for union business.

Examples:

To attend conventions of the union, committee meetings, executive meetings and preparatory contract meetings
To carry on negotiations where an employee is on a component bargaining committee
To appear as witnesses before an arbitration board, the Labour Relations Board or the Human Rights Tribunal
To sit as an observer on a selection panel to which an employee has been designated

To confirm whether this leave is appropriate for you, submit an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request using the categories Myself (or) My Team or Organization > Leave & Time Off > Special or Other Leaves, or review Employment conditions and agreements for specific provisions for your unit.

Contact information

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Submit an AskMyHR (IDIR restricted) service request.

If you're a B.C. government employee without an IDIR, call the BC Public Service Agency to submit your service request.

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The B.C. Public Service acknowledges the territories of First Nations around B.C. and is grateful to carry out our work on these lands. We acknowledge the rights, interests, priorities, and concerns of all Indigenous Peoples - First Nations, Métis, and Inuit - respecting and acknowledging their distinct cultures, histories, rights, laws, and governments.

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