Holiday rules at University of Copenhagen

This letter is version 2 of 31 January 2008.
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Niels Tvede of the Central Administration at University of Copenhagen (UC) has sent letters dated 29 June 2007 and 21 December 2007, respectively, regarding UC’s new holiday rules. The background to the letters is a wish to tighten up the procedures for the notification and taking of holiday in relation to rules in use at UC before the merger.

There are a few differences between UC’s new holiday rules and the rules that have been in force at LIFE so far. LIFE has decided to adhere to UC’s holiday rules.

Below follows a brief explanation of the rules for taking, notifying and transferring holiday. New rules are marked with “New”.

Main holiday

All employees with holiday earned must take three weeks holiday in the main holiday period from 1 May – 30 September 200x (summer holiday).

Planning
In January/February, the departments must start the planning of the main holiday. This may be done by all the employees of a department filling in a holiday form which is finally fixed by the Head.

Notification of main holiday
If, in spite of the above planning, there are employees who have not planned their main holiday, the Head must give notice of the holiday. The notice must be given at least three months before the start of the holiday and by letter or e-mail to the individual employee stating the exact dates for when the holiday should be taken.

For example: “ Notice is hereby given that you should take three weeks main holiday from 1 July to and including 21 July 200x”

New!
If there are reasonable grounds why an employee does not wish to take three weeks’ main holiday during the main period from 1 May to 30 September 200x (summer holiday), an agreement in writing should be made between the Head and the employee that the holiday is taken at another time during the holiday year in question. At LIFE, this agreement is kept in the department’s own “holiday archive”.

Eery year in October HR informs tje Faculty Management of the number of employees with remaining main holiday by means of a print-out from the personnel administration system.

Remaining holiday

The remaining two weeks’ holiday must be taken before 1 May 200x. It would be natural to use the same holiday planning method as the one used for the main holiday.

If, in spite of the above planning, there are employees who have not planned their remaining holiday, the Head must give notice of the taking of the remaining holiday. One month’s notice must be given. The contents of the notification are the same as for the main holiday.

Transfer of the fifth holiday week
The employee and the Head may agree that the employee transfers the fifth holiday week to the next holiday year. The days cannot be accumulated over time. Please use LIFE’s form for this purpose. The form is kept in the departments own “holiday archive”.

Special days of holiday

Special days of holiday earned in 2006 that should be taken during the holiday year 2007/2008 must be included in the planning and taking of holiday according to the same principles as ordinary holiday. Notice may be given of these special days of holiday. It is thus up to the Heads of Department whether they want to give notice of these special days of holiday or not. If they do not give notice of them and the employee does not take them, the days will automatically be paid out.

New!
As from 1 January 2009, the special days of holiday earned in 2007 that should be taken during the holiday year 2008/2009 must be taken no later than 30 April 2009. One month’s notice must be given and the same principles must be used as for ordinary holiday.

New!
The special days of holiday can not be transferred to the next holiday year.

Holiday in connection with resignation

New!
When an employee leaves his job at LIFE, notice must be given to the person in question that all earned holiday must be taken before the resignation. The rules on notifications of three months for the main holiday and one month for the remaining holiday, respectively, must be complied with. As most employees have a term of notice of one month when resigning, this policy is, in practice, primarily relevant in case of planned resignations.

New employees’ holiday

UC does not enter into agreements to take over holiday and special days of holiday from the previous employer irrespective of the newly employed person having previously worked for another state employer.

If a person is employed within UC but across faculties/departments, the new employee retains his/her earned holiday and special days of holiday with pay. Therefore, there is no settlement of holiday with the holiday fund.

Local holiday rules

The local cooperation committees may agree that the Department closes down for a particular period (e.g. between Christmas and New Year) and agree general guidelines for the organisation and planning of the five weeks’ holiday.

Registration of holiday

The departmental secretaries are responsible for the entry of planned and notified holiday in the university HR system UPS UC/Scanpas, including agreed holiday to be transferred to next holiday year.

Feel free to direct any questions you may have to:

· Pia Fonsholt – ext. 32017.

. Henriette Strand Nielsen - ext. 32248

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