ARTICLE 11 – PROBATION
11.01 An employee shall serve a probationary period of six (6) months duration commencing with the date of his/her initial assignment to line duty. Notwithstanding the above, in exceptional circumstances the Company and the Union, at the Headquarters level, may agree to extend the probationary period by up to three (3) months.
11.02 If an employee is absent from normal flying duties in excess of seven (7) consecutive days during his/her probationary period, the Company may extend his/her probationary period by an equivalent number of days.
11.03 The Company reserves the sole right to make any decisions with respect to the discharge, discipline or retention of an employee during this probationary period.
11.04 The provisions of Article 14 ‑ Discipline and Discharge ‑ shall be applicable to an employee during his/her probationary period.
11.05 Employees hired for a specific duration of time and who have been released prior to having successfully completed their full probationary period may be subject, upon return to the Company, to an additional probationary period as follows: This probationary period will be either three (3) months or the time required to complete the six (6) months whichever is the greater.