Flooded? Your Emergency and Disaster Leave entitlements
28 February 2022
Flood warnings and evacuation orders have been issued across large swathes of northern NSW as heavy rains batter the state and force thousands to evacuate.
Keep tabs of current warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the State Emergency Service (SES):
IEU Lismore Office: The IEU Lismore office is currently closed. Our Lismore staff are safe and are working from home.
Your emergency disaster leave entitlements:
All school staff and early childhood staff: If your school is closed because of flooding, you should be able to work from home and not be required to take leave of any kind.
Catholic diocesan schools: If your school is open but you cannot get to work because of flooding, in most cases you are eligible for paid emergency disaster leave of up to 5 days.
Independent schools covered by Association of Independent Schools (AIS) Multi-Enterprise Agreement: If your school is open but you cannot get to work because of flooding, you are entitled to paid natural disaster leave under your new MEA (while this is still before the Fair Work Commission awaiting ratification, your employer should nonetheless honour the agreement). You may also be entitled to personal/carer’s leave in some circumstances.
Early childhood services: If your service is open but you cannot get to work because of flooding, check the wording of your enterprise agreement to see if you are entitled to emergency disaster leave. If the flooding means that you need to care for a family member because of the unexpected emergency, you may be entitled to take personal/carer’s leave.
If your employer does not grant a reasonable request for leave due to flooding or extreme weather, contact the union for assistance.
https://www.ieu.asn.au/contact
School Closure Notification, Monday 28 February 2022
The NSW Department of Education is publishing a list of schools that are non-operational due to severe weather as of Monday 28 February 2022. https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/school-safety
Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools wishes to advise that due to the current rain event and local road closures the schools listed below will be closed today, Monday 28 February 2022.
- St Carthage's Primary School, Lismore
- Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School, Lismore
- St John's College, Woodlawn (Lismore)
- Trinity Catholic College, Lismore
- St Mary's Primary School, Casino
- St Mary's College, Casino
- St Brigid's Primary School, Kyolge
- St Joseph's Primary School, Coraki
- St Joseph's Primary School, Woodburn
- Mount St Patrick Primary School, Murwillumbah
- Mount St Patrick College, Murwillumbah
- St Joseph's Primary School, South Murwillumbah
- St John's Primary School, Mullumbimby
- St James' Primary School, Yamba
- St Joseph's Primary School, Maclean
- McAuley Catholic College, Grafton
- St Mary's Primary School, Bellingen
- Mt St Johns Primary School, Dorrigo
The following schools are open to provide supervision of students:
- St Joseph's Primary School, Alstonville
- St Francis Xavier Primary School, Ballina
- Xavier Catholic College, Ballina
- Holy Family Primary School, Skennars Head
- St Joseph's Primary School, Tweed Heads
- St James Primary School, Banora Point
- St Joseph's College, Banora Point
- St Anthony's Primary School, Kingscliff
- St Ambrose Primary School, Pottsville
- St Finbarr's Primary School, Byron Bay
- St Mary's Primary School, Grafton
- St Mary's Primary School, Bowraville
To be updated as further information becomes available.