This measure, decided at the end of the last five-yearly review in 2015, although in view of the Staff Association it is still flawed (we will come back to this point below), already makes it possible to help you in certain extremely difficult situations that you may encounter.   

The donation of leave [1] is a mechanism that allows employed members of personnel (staff members and fellows) to offer, on a voluntary basis, one or more days of annual leave to an employed member of personnel caring for a child or a spouse/partner suffering from an illness or the consequences of an accident, the severity of which makes the constant presence of another person and a considerable amount of care indispensable

The severity of the child or spouse/partner’s medical situation and the absolute necessity of the member of the personnel’s constant presence must be confirmed by a detailed medical certificate provided by the doctor of the family member in question.

What are the conditions to benefit from it?

To benefit from a donation of annual leave (up to a maximum of 30 days per leave year), the member of the personnel must have exhausted all paid leave entitlements (annual leave, compensatory leave, SLS under the former system, STSLS and LTSLS).

What is the procedure?

Members of the personnel wishing to benefit from a donation of annual leave must contact their Human Resources Adviser (HRA). Each situation is then examined individually in consultation with CERN’s Social Affairs Service and Medical Service.

When a member of the personnel meets the criteria described in section 1, an appeal for leave donation is organised in his or her department. Employed members of the personnel who have completed at least one year of service and wish to donate one or more days of leave complete the form provided in the donation appeal.

Only annual leave can be donated, up to a maximum of five days per donor and per leave year, provided that the donor has enough days of annual leave remaining.

The corresponding leave is then managed by the Leave Service which you can contact at the following e-mail address HR.leave@cern.ch.

What improvements does the Association expect?

The Staff Association considers that various adjustments are to be made to this measure in order for it to fully carry out its mission. A mission that promotes solidarity among members of personnel and support for employed members of personnel in all situations where it is needed. In order to do so, it is necessary:

1. To allow the call for the leave donation to all MPE members of personnel and not only in the applicant's department ;
2. To create a common pot of available leave days to be able to respond to all the needs expressed;
3. To allow the leave donation also in case of illness of ascendants (parents, grandparents);
4. To ensure that only the social service can have knowledge of these requests.

Needless to say, it is also expected that this possibility of leave donation should be also officially contained in the Organization's legislative texts.

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[1] Leave donation | Admin e-guide (cern.ch)