(1) Every person is entitled after 12 months of continuous service on a Saint Lucian ship, or for the same employer, to an annual leave with pay, or to a proportionate part of the annual leave with pay, the duration of which shall be—
(a) in the case of master and officers, not less than 18 working days; and
(b) in the case of other members of the crew, not less than 12 working days.
(2) For the purposes of calculating the time at which annual leave is due—
(a) periods between consecutive crew agreements shall be included in the reckoning of continuous service referred to in subsection (1);
(b) short interruptions of service not due to the act or fault of the employee and not exceeding a total of 6 weeks in any 12 months do not break the continuity of the periods of service that precede and follow them; and
(c) continuity of service is not interrupted by any change in the management or ownership of the ships in which the person concerned has served.
(3) The following shall not be included in annual leave with pay—
(a) interruptions of service due to sickness or injury; and
(b) public holidays.
(4) In addition to the entitlement under subsection (1), every member of the crew of a Saint Lucian ship is entitled to 9 days annual leave with pay in lieu of public holidays; and if the length of continuous service is less than 12 months, then the annual leave with pay shall be pro-rated.