Hot topics for employees

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 related enquiries have been the most popular with employees lately.

In March there were 2,749 employee phone enquiries through our contact centre compared to 2,285 in February – a jump of more than 460 in one month. Also during the period, leave cancellations increased while leave applications decreased – not surprising, given the travel restrictions at the moment.

Hope this information helps you prepare for long service leave enquiries. Can I access my accrued leave early due to COVID-19 impacting my work?

Unfortunately, this is not possible. Early access is only available as prescribed by the legislation.

I’m in isolation and can’t print leave forms from the website – what do I do?

We’ve been exploring ways to make things easier for clients while COVID-19 is impacting normal practices. If you are in isolation and unable to print/complete/scan a leave application or cancellation form, please email our Applications team who will provide you with an MS Word version to use. Note: this is a temporary solution only during COVID-19 impacts.

If a public holiday falls while I'm on leave, is it deducted from my long service leave balance?

No; employees are paid for public holidays as if they would normally be at work. More information is provided in the Guidance Note on Accruing and Debiting Long Service Leaveand in the legislation – refer Part 5A, section 39AE of the Admin Act.

I am due to retire soon; how do I get paid my long service leave?

To be eligible to claim accrued leave under ‘retirement’, you must be aged 60 or older. There is no minimum qualifying service period; any amount accrued can be claimed provided you have turned 60.

To claim your accrued leave, complete the employee section of the Cessation Application and submit it to your employer to progress from there. As for any leave application, once your balance is verified with Coal LSL, your employer will notify you then pay your leave entitlement through their usual payroll process.

If retiring before age 60, it’s important to be aware that you must have accrued the minimum eight years’ qualifying service prior to leaving the industry in order to claim under ‘retirement’ after turning 60. Under the legislation, if you have not accrued 8 years’ qualifying service when claiming under retirement after you’ve turned 60, you will forfeit any accrued leave.

Refer Part 5A, Division 3, section 39CA of the Admin Act for more details.

If I pass away, how does my family access my accrued leave?

Your appointed legal personal representative must make a request in writing to your last employer to pay out any unclaimed accrued leave to your estate.

The employer will submit an Entitlement Application along with a certified copy of the official Death Certificate, and liaise with Coal LSL to verify any outstanding entitlement. Your employer must pay out any accrued leave hours to your legal personal representative within 30 days.

These situations are covered under Part 5A, Division 3, Section 39CC of the Admin Act.

Please see our FAQs for other questions you or your employees may have and you’re always welcome to contact us with any enquiries, too.