Policy Statement
Employees are entitled to paid bereavement leave as defined in this policy.
Application
This policy applies all employees of Government Departments.
Bargaining unit employees should also consult their respective collective agreements and the provisions of the collective agreement shall prevail.
Definitions
| Bereavement | the death of a family member |
| Child | children and step-children of the employee (including children of the employee’s same sex or common-law spouse) |
| Spouse | an individual declared by the employee as their spouse; this individual may be of the opposite or same sex as the employee |
Responsibilities
Department
It is the responsibility of individual departments to assist employees when they are experiencing the loss of a family member.
Employee
It is the responsibility of employees to ensure that their supervisors are notified of the loss and informed that bereavement leave will be requested.
Entitlement
Employees are entitled to receive 3 consecutive days bereavement leave in the event of the death of the employee’s:
- parent or stepparent;
- legal guardian;
- sibling or stepsibling;
- child or stepchild;
- spouse;
- grandparent;
- grandchild;
- parent-in-law;
- child-in-law; or
- near relative living in the same household.
Employees are entitled to receive 1 day bereavement leave in the event of the death of the employee’s:
- sibling-in-law;
Where the funeral of a relative is outside the island portion of the province, employees who have been granted 3 days bereavement leave may be granted 1 additional day leave with pay for purposes of attending the funeral.
Where the funeral of a relative is outside Labrador, employees who live in Labrador and who have been granted 3 days bereavement leave may be granted 1 additional day leave with pay for purposes of attending the funeral.
The Deputy Minister may grant 2 additional days leave with pay for bereavement where extraordinary circumstances exist.
Employees on paid leave at the time of bereavement, will be granted bereavement leave and their paid leave will be adjusted accordingly.
Employees may not defer bereavement leave; it must be taken at the time of bereavement.
Last Policy Update: February 7, 2023