Maternity Leave for RNs in BC

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I'm a new RN grad in BC and as most of you in the area have noticed, there aren't really any jobs to go around. I was able to land a casual position eventually.

My question to all of you is, can a casual RN be eligible for maternity leave. I would like to start a family sometime soon (I waited through four years of nursing school already) but I'm not sure if I can be granted maternity leave as I am only a casual worker.

I tried looking into the BCNU collective agreement but all of the language regarding maternity leave seems to be directed toward regular employees. Any information on this would be greatly appreciated.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Maternitiy leave is a federal initiative through EI, not a union one (although some provinces' unions have a provision for "topping up" so that there's no net loss of income for that period). To qualify for benefits you have to have worked a minimum of 600 hours in the preceding 52 weeks and have your income reduced by at least 40% by being on maternity leave. 600 hours is roughly equivalent to a 0.3 FTE and is entirely reachable as a casual in most places if you're serious. To learn more look at: Employment Insurance (EI) and maternity, parental and sickness benefits

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Thanks so much for the info, janfrn!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

You're welcome!

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