Going sick on strike days

[jessicarabbit]

It's happening... Tony Bouch has made mention of it somewhere

[walthmstowman]

My office has just announced that anyone going sick on strike days - genuine or not - will need to provide a sick note on the first day. Basically saying you’re not allowed to self-sick. If you don’t provide one you will lose your pay. Very harsh if genuine sick, how do you get a doctors appointment (miraculous) and then a sick note and then get it in to work all on the same day if you can’t get out of bed?

Is this happening elsewhere? And does anyone know if it’s actually legal?

He talking bollocks, direct him to the you gov webpage re' sickness/sick pay & tell him to read it out loud on the shop floor

Exactly, it’s illegal

[jessicarabbit]

The following message has just been posted by Tony Bouch PEC member CWU
We would expect our managers to be pragmatic during this period and there is no catch all – a blanket approach of stopping pay. We will have to trust our managers who know our people best to treat each case by its own merits.

During this period of continuing strike action, it is important we do all that we can to deliver for our customers on those days unaffected by industrial action. In recent weeks, we have seen levels of sickness absence rise around strike days and have therefore asked our managers to ensure they’re having the right conversations with team members in the event they call in sick. This is important to ensure we provide colleagues with the right support that they need but it is also important to ensure that absence is only taken when it is believed to be necessary.

One of the conditions for paying contractual sick pay is for the Business to be satisfied that an employee’s absence is necessary and due to genuine illness. We have not changed this policy but we have asked our managers to determine whether an employee’s absence from work meets these conditions; where it doesn’t, they will advise the employee that this is the case and record the time off as unauthorised absence. Employees can arrange to get a fit note if they do not agree with their managers assessment and contractual sick pay may then be backdated.

Each case will be considered on its own merits and take account of the circumstances the individual finds themselves in. Clearly, there will be some circumstances where it is not appropriate to stop pay for example maternity related absences, when a colleagues is hospitalised or where an employee has symptoms and tests positive for Covid and chooses not to attend for work.
HR advice which has been issued to COMs

[Seagull1983]

Surely if you have a doctors note they can’t stop pay ?!