Is this 80% SSP for every employee?

[Yellowskies1988]

Reason I'm asking is I genuinely feel unsafe at my food packaging factory job and they have done little, if nothing to help make it safer during COVID 19.

Basically it employs around 500 people over 3 shifts

3 rotating shifts still hand over face to face, this needs addressing immidiatly to add a 15 minute period to get previous shift off site and 15 min for the oncoming shift.

They cannot adhear to the 2meter social distancing either on the job or in the corridors.

I want to take time off I cannot afford to. My wife works in a care home too, both our kids are at home (8 and 5 year old boys) our eldest goes to special school as he is autistic but we made a decision to work around the kids being at home. My wife also has a terminal illness that she is showing signs of it developing.

PLEASE FOR GOODNESS SAKE ADVISE ME

You get 80% only if you are furloughed. BUT I would advise to report your employer for not following Health & safety guidelines (keeping 2meters away etc) they may need to close and you then can get your 80% i guess? There is no other way since you are a KEY WORKER...

It’s not 80% SSP, that’s if you can’t work as the business has been closed down and your employer would otherwise lay you off. If you self isolate without symptoms, and don’t fall into the vulnerable category, your company is within their rights not to pay you at all.

@undecided91

I've rang my union today. We had a briefing at the end of the shift but thye still don't want to STOP PRODUCTION.

They want 50% of my shift to start 30 mins an sleave 30 mins Earley and the other 50% of my shift to do normal hours. This would still cross shifts but a slow down My congestion in the corridors in theory.... But the other shifts come on site early, some atleast 45 mins before their start times anyway.

I've been wanting to go to the local press but I'm scared it won't stay anonymous.

I'm litraly scared to come home and see my wife and kids most days.

@Aposterhasnoname

Thats what I thought... People have self isolated for 2 weeks (payday today) and had pretty much a full regular wage...

Of course they don’t want to stop production, the country needs food.

I suggest you talk to your union rep, or health and safety rep about shifts coming in early, see if anymore can be done.

I don't think there is an 80% Statutory Sick Pay - do you mean the fund to pay 80% of wages for furloughed workers (www.farrer.co.uk/news-and-insights/blogs/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-the-details/#)?

If so, it looks unlikely that would apply to your situation as it is for jobs where staff would have been laid off, to encourage employers to keep them on the books. It sounds like your work are not firing people?

My wife also has a terminal illness that she is showing signs of it developing
Do you mean your wife is showing signs of developing coronavirus? If so, the whole family need to self-isolate at home for 14 days. You should get statutory sick pay during this period.

If your wife is in a very vulnerable group she may have received a text or letter advising her about shielding for 12 weeks? Did she get this / has she been advised to shield?

Make sure you wash and change your clothes as soon as you get home every night. The 80% won't apply to this business as it's in food production so it won't close.

@AwkwardPaws27

No sorry its the terminal illness developing. She has had no letter or text regarding shielding for 12 weeks.

My work are in fact employing people

@Aposterhasnoname

I know the country needs food, I don't want to not go work I'm questioning why they are not doing anything to keep me and my colleagues a safe as possible. Many measures have not been taken at all, its been business as usual and from their point of view "make hay whilst the sun shines" they want staff dojng overtime this weekend

SSP is fixed at £94.25.

The 80% is the grant that employers can claim if they furlough employees instead of making redundancies/laying off.

If they business keeps running and people are still working, the furlough grant doesn't come into it.

Is it a well-known food brand? They would want to avoid the bad press at the moment. You could try calling head office? A good journalist would always protect their sources too. Tbh I think you owe it to the country to blow the whistle on this, it's not safe.

If your job still exists and your employer wants you to work, your options are:

1.work and receive full pay.
2.ask for unpaid leave if your employer agrees. Obviously, you won't get paid.
3.ask to take annual leave.

If you develop symptoms, you should self isolate for 7 days. You will be entitled to SSP (about £95 per week) for this period.
If your wife develops symptoms, you should self isolate for 14 days. You will be entitled to SSP for this period.

If you are concerned that your wife is vulnerable and you could pass infection to her, then she should self isolate from you, within your home. There is online guidance on how to do this.

You cannot choose not to work and receive 80% pay. That option is not available to anyone.

I think you have the 80% pay grant for employees laid off or can’t work, confused with statutory sick pay. They are different.

@nanbread
Yeah it's massive like I say it employs around 500 people at my factory alone, more maybe

It's food that is fresh (store it in your fridge)

Honestly people are scared and going home in tears. We don't expect this, where we work. We expext to be adhered by the government rulings and be put infront of any production. We're basically cannon fodder

Businesses still need to operate and are not barred from doing so - it's those businesses that encourage social mixing such as restaurants, shops etc that the government have closed down. Not things like food production factories where you are needed.

No, the 80% is for furloughed workers only so it wouldn’t be applicable to you, and only their employers can claim it, not the individual employee.

@CloudsCanLookLikeSheep

I haven't said anything about the business operating but their duty of care to me and my colleagues is disgraceful

@Yellowskies1988 you're not in Grimsby are you? This sounds familiar.

Do you have a union at all?

I wonder if the food standards authority would be interested?

I wish you all the best.

@Rowgtfc72

No not near grimsby

@laaf80

I'm going to contact them today I think. I've just had a message confirming them amended hours I mentioned about, still interacting with the other shift

Also @Laaf80

Also I spoke my my union on the phone and they said measusers are in place from Monday... I. Explained to them what work want to do and it's still not safe and I was told to ring back on Monday if I wasn't happy

Were chilled and frozen.
6-2 has gone 530-130. They've painted a yellow line at the in and out gate so we dont bang into the other shifts. Yellow lines 2 m apart going in. Once you're in though the locker rooms are a bit of a free for all.
Canteen is two per table.
This week were getting flappy plastic curtains to separate the production lines and more to try and separate the packers who work opposite each other.
No it's not ideal. Yes were still In contact with our fellow workers.
Our company are trying though, give us daily updates and know it's not the best but the best they can do.
They've really stepped up.

@rowgtfc72

Is that time amendment staggering or are you still coming into contact with the other shift?
It's taken our work, we'll upto this point and still not 1 briefing

Afternoon shift arent allowed through the gates now till 145. Very little contact with them now.
No face to face briefings but daily updates on the work app. And now thank you for our efforts.
This time last week I was calling buggery out of my employers and considering self isolating. Now I maybe have too close contact with 20 people a day instead of hundreds. It's not perfect but its certainly better.

That should thank yous for our efforts. Takes very little to thank your staff but means a lot. Its certainly been appreciated

@Yellowskies1988 how was work today?