We wish to play an active role in the community and fully support our employees in undertaking public duties where this is compatible with the priority needs of the University.
If you wish to accept certain public duty appointments, you must first seek the permission of your line manager and Head of School/Department. You should submit your request via UniCore. If you do not have access to UniCore, then your line manager can enter the leave onto the system on your behalf.
In deciding what is reasonable, your line manager and Head of School/Department will consider the time required to perform these duties, the amount of time taken off and the effect on the University’s business. Subject to the needs of the school/department, permission will not unreasonably be withheld.
There are many reasons why you may need to request time off for civic or public duties, some of these are summarised in the table below.
Leave for public and civic duties
| Types of duties | Time allowed |
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Public duties
The below may qualify:
• Justice of Peace
• member of a local authority
• member of a statutory tribunal
• member of NHS Trust, a district or regional health authority or a Family Health Services Authority Committee
• a member of a board of visitors for prisons, remand centres, young offenders institutions
• a governor of a school or college which is grant-maintained or maintained by a local education authority, self-governing school, or college of further education
• Member of the environment agency
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The University is not required by law to grant time off with pay for the public duties. However, the University will grant you leave with pay not exceeding 18 days (130.5 hours for the majority of full-time staff); pro rata for part-time staff, in any period of 12 months, to be taken in either full or half days. You should discuss the timing of this leave with your line manager and Head of School/Department.
If you hold more than one of the appointments noted left, the maximum time off in any 12 months is 18 days (130.5 hours for the majority of full-time staff) with pay (pro rata for part-time staff). Any additional time off required must be taken as part of your annual leave.
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Trade union representative
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Reasonable time off with pay to carry out industrial relations duties and approved training in subjects relevant to such duties. |
| Elected employee representatives |
Elected employee representatives will be allowed reasonable time off with pay. |
| Safety representatives |
Under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, if you are appointed to be a safety representative by UCU, Unison or UNITE, you are entitled to reasonable time off as necessary to carry out the duties and undergo training. |
| Pension scheme trustees |
Under The Pensions Act 1995, an employee who is elected to be a trustee of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) or of the University of Nottingham Contributory Pension and Assurance Scheme (CPAS) will be granted time off with pay to carry out their duties as trustees and to undertake training for such duties. |
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Jury and witness service
If you are required to attend court for jury service you will receive notification from your local court of the dates you are required to attend. You should inform your Head of School/Department as soon as you receive such notification.
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Relevant leave with pay will be granted to those employees attending Jury Service on the understanding that any amount received from the Court for loss of earnings will be declared to the University and subsequently deducted from your pay.
Included in the notification from the Court Service will be Form 5223 (jurors loss of earnings certificate). You should take or send it to the Payroll Office for completion, prior to undertaking the jury service, if possible. At the end of your jury service, administrators at the court will ask you for your expenses and subsistence claim. They will then issue you with a statement showing the court's reimbursement for loss of earnings, expenses and subsistence (i.e. how much they have paid you). You should take or send this statement to the Payroll Office so that an adjustment can be made to your salary. A deduction from your pay will be equal to the reimbursement made by the court for loss of earnings.
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Candidacy for local Authority Councillor or Member of Parliament (both UK and European)
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If you are standing for election to public office, you are expected to take the three weeks leading up to an election as annual leave. In the case of a Member of Parliament you are expected to take any other time required as unpaid leave, which in this case is for up to two parliamentary periods. |
| Volunteer Reserve Forces (eg Territorial Army) |
If you are a member of the Volunteer Reserve Forces, where practical, the University will permit you to take paid leave up to a maximum of two weeks (72.5 hours) per year. Full details of the policy and procedure are contained in the following policy:
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Last edited Nov 18, 2024