Covid sick pay
Dear Transport for London,
Please could you answer the following questions
1) Could you tell me in order the amount of sick pay ( tripartite enhanced covid sick pay ) that has be paid to each of the London bus operators - not as a group total
2) With the tripartite enhanced covid sick pay of up to 14 days - would you agree that a company that imposes 10 days and includes all rest days is not within both the spirt and letter of the agreement - meaning in real terms no one could get more than 8 days pay in some cases 6
3) whilst each company has different qualifying periods to obtain sick pay, different grades of driver or engineer and therefore different rates of pay for sick pay - Is it accepted by all that up to 14 days or two rostered working weeks is the accepted norm as per the agreement.
4) could you tell me which companies are applying the full 14 days and which are not
Yours faithfully,
Mr M Wiggins
Dear Mr Wiggins
Our Ref: FOI-2611-2021
Thank you for your request received on 21 March 2021 asking for
information about bus operator Covid-19 sicky pay.
We will aim to issue a response by 20 April 2021 in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. Please
think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current
time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources
and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential
activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may
be impacted by the current situation and so you may wish to reconsider the
timing of this request. Please notify us as soon as possible if you would
like to withdraw your request at the current time.
We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.
We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.
In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[3][TfL request email]
Dear FOI,
Please continue with a response to questions please
Yours sincerely,
Mr M Wiggins
Dear Mr Wiggins
Our Ref: FOI-2611-2021
Thank you for your request received on 21 March 2021 asking for
information about bus operator Covid-19 sick pay.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can
confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:
1) Could you tell me in order the amount of sick pay (tripartite
enhanced Covid-19 sick pay) that has be paid to each of the London bus
operators - not as a group total.
We do not have individual company figures available as TfL paid bus
operating groups. We have provided these payments in order of magnitude
which generally reflects the workforce sizes of these operators. Please
note that market shares are between 0.5% and 24% so there will be a big
variation between operating groups.
2) With the tripartite enhanced covid sick pay of up to 14 days - would
you agree that a company that imposes 10 days and includes all rest days
is not within both the spirt and letter of the agreement - meaning in
real terms no one could get more than 8 days’ pay in some cases 6
All operators are following the enhanced sick pay policy which is aligned
to national guidance which originally envisaged 14 days but changed to 10
during the course of lockdowns. The principle we and our operators are
trying to follow is that nobody should suffer financially and that staff
are encouraged to isolate from day one with appropriate sick pay.
3) whilst each company has different qualifying periods to obtain sick
pay, different grades of driver or engineer and therefore different rates
of pay for sick pay - Is it accepted by all that up to 14 days or two
rostered working weeks is the accepted norm as per the agreement.
The 14 days that was originally set out for this scheme was to align with
the government’s recommend period for isolation. This has now changed to
10 days. The policy is in place to support government guidelines on
isolation and ensure individuals can isolate from day one without any
financial concerns regarding sick pay.
4) could you tell me which companies are applying the full 14 days and
which are not
At the outset of the scheme, the 14 days stated reflected current
Government guidance. The intention of the scheme was to align with
Government sickness rules and this means that bus operators can choose to
follow the latest guidance which is for 10 days so that their staff can
isolate for a recommended period. All bus operators are making use of the
scheme.
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to
contact me.
If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think
carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as
answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the
attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where
requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by
the current situation.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[1][TfL request email]
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