As per the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) 75 of 1997, family responsibility leave applies to employees that are employed by an organisation for longer than four months and work at least four days a week. An employee who is eligible for family responsibility leave is entitled to 3 days of paid leave during each annual cycle.

Family responsibility leave covers the following:

• When an employee’s child is sick.
• In the event of the death of the employee’s spouse, life partner, parent, adoptive parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or sibling.

When an employee takes family responsibility leave, the employer must pay the employee the wage he or she would ordinarily have received for working. This payment must be paid on the employee’s usual pay day.

Family responsibility leave may be taken over a whole or part of a day. The employer may request reasonable proof of the event for which the leave was required. This type of leave is not accumulative and lapses at the end of the employee’s annual leave cycle.

Instances when family responsibility leave is not granted:

• When an employee’s child is born. The amendments to the BCEA make provisions for parental, adoption and commissioning leave for when a child is born.
• In the event of the death of an employee’s in-laws.
• When an employee’s child-minder is sick.
• Employees that work less than four days a week.

Who can take family responsibility leave?

Family responsibility leave does not apply to:

• National Defence Force employees
• National Intelligence Agency employees
• South African Secret Service employees
• Unpaid volunteers working for a charity

Dr Prishana Datadin

Human Resources Manager

Source

https://www.capelabour.co.za/family-responsibility-leave#

https://www.recruitmymom.co.za/blog/what-does-family-responsibility-leave-cover