Union campaign delivers 20 days DV leave

A union campaign to double family and domestic violence leave has succeeded, despite resistance from key NSW ministers. From January next year, NSW Government employees will have access to 20 days of paid leave per calendar year. Casual employees will also receive the entitlement having previously been denied it. The provision was initially agreed upon in negotiations for Sydney Trains but encountered resistance from a number of Cabinet ministers. Unions NSW gender equity officer Karen Willis said good sense had prevailed. “When you give people the right to paid family violence leave you give them more than a entitlement, you shift the culture. “That is why we have campaigned so hard for this new entitlement, both at Sydney Trains and across the NSW public sector. “When people are leaving a violent home they shouldn’t have to think twice about whether they will have leave to do so. A difficult conversation with the boss is the least thing someone wants to navigate. “This is a very positive development and we will closely monitor it implementation.”