My wife's work deduct a days pay when she has to stay at home with our ill child

[DabbyBob]

Hi All.

Just looking for some advise regarding pay rights for a teacher in full time employment - she is employed by the local council and has been in her permanent position for 12years or more.

So every time that she needs to take a day off because one of our children are ill her bosses at the school will deduct a days pay. This makes things really difficult as it puts all the pressure on me to work from home... Which i will do 2/3rds of the time, but sometimes like now (away on business) i cant take the day off.

My wife tells me that its all leagal and that they are within their rights to do this. But for me it just seems so wrong when you have 12 years working there!

I guess the simple question is: is this leagal or does my wife have some rights here?

Thanks.

fair enough

I agree kinky. Parents are not entitled to more rights than non-parents ontop of their maternity leave and paternity leave. I say again, teachers are paid out of public money- money thatis being cut quite drastically and is given to schools to spend in the best interests of children, not paying staff to stay at home to supervise their own children.
The policy that most local authorities have is very clear. If it does not suit people they should leave. No one is owed special treatment or preferential treatment by employers because they have chosen to have children.

So why the issue with unpaid leave? And what exactly are you suppose to do when your husband has already covered more than his share of days?

Take unpaid leave.

Childcare, providing it or paying for it, is part of parenting. SAHPs take the equivalent of permanent unpaid leave. Why shouldn't parents take a day's unpaid leave to take a day of unworked work? If it is to cover for a day off school you have at least passed the days of nursery, childminder or nanny costs!

You know when you say there are times when you just can't take the time off, you also need to recognise that there are times when your DW just can't take the time off. Every single one of her working days (bar insets) is the same importance as your inflexible client-facing days as those the ones she is seeing her 'clients' ie the pupils.

This.

I have said I don't have a issue with taking unpaid leave. I have an issue with being made to feel like a bad employee for doing so. Yet at the same time being expected to give up other days for the benefit of school. My issue is that it's not a 2way street. I'm expected to give my time freely yet when I have rude chickenpox at home and DH has already taken 1wk off, I'm suddenly not being a team player.

Rife chickenpox even

Is rude chickenpox where the spots spell out a swear word?

I'm a maths teacher and would not get paid either but fail to see how this is unprogressive. Your wife is a public sector worker and as such her wages are paid by the tax payer. If we are off work, the school-I.e. The tax payer must pay for a supply teacher to cover, at a higher cost to them than to pay your wife. I'm afraid this is a reality of being a parent. Perfectly legal and, quite frankly, so it should be.

It's certainly not pleasant when your 5yr old want to sit naked scratching at his willy constantly. His genitals were more covered than the whole of his sister's body although she was far more unwell. He now has a lovely willy sited battlescar from scratching. He likes to show it off!

That does sound like rude chickenpox to me! I bet you're glad they're both through it now and you don't have to deal with that again.