Appendix ANNEX VIII SICK LEAVE, MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE, PARENTAL LEAVE AND OTHER SPECIAL LEAVE

Contract staff members absent owing to sickness or accident for more than three consecutive days shall be required to produce a medical certificate within three days of ceasing work.

Absences occasioned by sickness or accident that last no more than three days and for which no medical certificate is provided may, if they exceed nine working days in any one calendar year, entail a corresponding reduction in the annual leave due to the contract staff member concerned or a corresponding reduction in his or her remuneration if the contract staff member has already taken his or her annual leave in full.

Contract staff members absent owing to sickness or accident are entitled, on production of a medical certificate, to sick leave with full pay and allowances for a maximum period of thirteen consecutive weeks.

A contract staff member may be requested to undergo a medical examination in accordance with Article 6(4) of the Staff Regulations in the case of continuous absence exceeding thirteen consecutive weeks due to sickness or accident, or in the case of the frequent recurrence of short periods of illness.

At any time during a sick leave of a contract staff member, the Institute may request a medical check by an independent medical centre.

Any contract staff member contracting an infectious disease shall absent himself or herself from duty and report the circumstances immediately to the Head of Administration and Personnel. If an infectious disease is reported among the family or intimate friends of a contract staff member, the latter shall immediately inform the Head of Administration and Personnel and conform to such health precautions as may be prescribed by that officer. All contract staff members who have been in contact with a person who has contracted an infectious disease and are as a result obliged to absent themselves from duty shall be entitled to all of their remuneration; such absence shall not be deducted from either their sick leave or annual leave entitlements.

Contract staff members shall submit to any preventive vaccinations or inoculations that may be required.

All accidents to contract staff members, whether incurred at work or outside the Institute, however trifling they may appear at the time, shall be reported immediately by the contract staff member to the Head of Administration and Personnel, together with the names and addresses of any witnesses.

Special leave with full or part pay, not exceeding ten working days per year, or without pay, may be granted by the Director for exceptional or urgent private reasons.

Special leave of five days with full pay shall be granted on the occasion of the marriage of a contract staff member.

Contract staff members shall be granted special leave of five days with full pay on the occasion of the death of a spouse, of a direct descendant or of a direct ascendant.

Maternity leave with full pay, and not to be charged against sick or annual leave, shall be granted to contract staff members on production of an appropriate medical certificate. Maternity leave shall be for sixteen weeks.

The leave shall start not earlier than six weeks before the expected date of confinement shown in the certificate and end not earlier than 10 weeks and not later than 16 weeks after the date of confinement.

In the case of multiple or premature birth or the birth of a disabled child, the duration shall be of 20 weeks. Premature birth for the purposes of this provision is a birth taking place before the end of the 34th week of pregnancy.

Maternity leave on full pay, and not to be charged against sick or annual leave, shall be granted to a female contract staff member who legally adopts a child under 18 years.

Maternity leave shall be for sixteen weeks and such leave shall commence from the date of arrival of the child in the child's new home.

In the case of multiple adoptions or the adoption of a disabled child, the duration of the maternity leave shall be of 20 weeks.

Paternity leave of 10 working days with full emoluments shall be granted to male contract staff members on the birth or adoption of a child who is recognised as dependant as defined in Article 11(2) of the Staff Regulations and, in a case of adoption, who is under 18 years of age. It shall be increased to 12 working days in the case of a multiple birth or the birth of a disabled child.

The leave shall commence from the date of birth of the child or the arrival of child in the child's new home, but may be postponed if the child is hospitalised.

A contract staff member shall be entitled to up to two months of parental leave without basic salary for every child, to be taken during the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of the child. The minimum leave taken at any one time shall not be less than one month.

During parental leave, the contract staff member's membership of the social security scheme shall continue. The acquisition of pension rights, children's and other dependants' allowance and education allowance shall be maintained. The contract staff member shall retain his or her post, and continue to be entitled to advancement to a higher step or promotion in grade.

During parental leave, the contract staff member shall be entitled to an allowance of EUR 800 per month but may not engage in any other gainful employment.

The full contribution to the social security scheme shall be borne by the Institute.

Contract staff members recalled to serve in the armed forces for a period of training shall be entitled to special paid leave of a maximum of two weeks a year or four weeks every two years.

Periods of recall, which extend beyond these limits, shall be deducted from the contract staff member's annual leave.

If a contract staff member receives financial compensation from the national authority, which recalled him, the amount of such compensation shall be deducted from the contract staff member's salary.