Continuous Employment

• Definition 
• Allowable Breaks 
• Impact on Leave Entitlements 
• Difference in Meaning

Definition

One or more periods of service in the Public Service, as defined in the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA), with allowable breaks, as specified in the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment.

In other words, you may be able to establish a link to previous service as long the employing department, corporation or agency was subject to the Superannuation Plan, and on condition that the length of break between both periods of service is considered allowable.

Allowable Breaks

Allowable breaks are determined on the basis of the following factors:

• type and tenure of employment
• reason for termination of prior employment
• length of breaks between periods of service

For example:

• a period of up to three months for indeterminate employees (or term with three months or more of service)
• up to five working days for term employees / casual workers (with less than three months of service)

Impact on Leave Entitlements

• Vacation Leave
  
  Most collective agreements base the calculation of vacation leave credits on continuous/discontinuous service, however, there are some collective agreements that still provide for the accrual of credits based on continuous employment. Also, the majority of collective agreements contain a grandfather provision for vacation leave credits previously earned under a continuous employment clause.
  
  
• Sick Leave
  
  If continuous employment is established between your current appointment and a previous position, you will be allowed to carry-over the balance of unused sick leave from your previous job.
  
  If no provision was made for the earning of sick leave credits or no record exists of the amount of sick leave credits earned, you will be deemed to have earned one third of the leave that you would have earned if the employment in the public service had been employment in the core public administration.
  
  Core public administration refers to the departments named in Schedule I and the other portions of the federal public administration named in Schedule IV of the Financial Administration Act.
  
  
• Other Leave
  
  Certain collective agreements allow the counting of continuous employment in establishing eligibility for certain types of leave. Refer to your respective Collective Agreement for details.

Difference in Meaning

Continuous employment, continuous service and continuous/discontinuous service have different meanings and application. Select the desired link to obtain more information on each.