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.

Do you rezally know friends that are both a) not working and b) happy to sit with a sick child? It's often suggested on mn and I don't know anyone who would do this. childminders wont take sick children either!

It's standard practice. I always take a day unpaid when the dc's are sick, I'm not wasting annual leave to sit in the house all day!

If your wife doesn't get paid, she certainly shouldn't set cover work or mark any work done while she is absent. It works both ways.

I used to work for a big Local Authority where (paid) emergency carers leave i.e. to make arrangements for someone to look after a sick child ,was at the manager's discretion. Otherwise you were expected to take annual leave .
I can see it's tough on teachers . If you have no family back up, then I think I'd try and find someone (a neighbour ? SAHP?) you could pay to step into the breach. Though I understand that sometimes a very young child needs a parent .
But then those of us who worked ft often envied teachers their short working day (yes ,I know they work in the evenings) long holidays....no expensive/appropriate childcare to have to find . Swings and roundabouts .

Would your work pay you to take the day off to look after them?

Ha tea, me neither. I only have my mum available 2 days a week. I wouldn't dream to ask another school parent to have my sick child! They've got enough on their own plates.

my work stop pay for everyone, whatever the reason, if you have over three days absence a year.....so if you have three days off for flu, you are ok.....one day off with an ill child and your pay gets stopped....if you then have another 3 days off with flu again, you wont get paid...its to stop the people who take one or two days a month for stupid reasons ( im due a sickie, what excuse can i make up )....it certainly stopped a few of the malingerers at our place!

Presumably your employer only pays you that day if you are actually working? If not, you'd also have to take unpaid leave.

And if DW got paid for not working, it would make economic sense for her to cover all sick days, which would be bad for her employer!

People are saying that schools don't pay for having time off with ill children - some do.

I got paid taking my cat to the vet once.

Op i feel for you as DH is a primary school teacher and works long hours but it's the same at his school. You will struggle to find employers who will pay when you are not working. In my previous job I took the days off because of child illness as a mixture of holiday and unpaid leave, but now as self employed childminder I get no pay if I take time off when my children are ill, no pay when I am ill, no pay for holiday, no pension, no benefit whatsoever.

Perhaps you should lobby your employer to provide what you think is the correct and progressive arrangements?

Then you can use them, and your DW can continue on standard teaching T&Cs and everyone's happy.

And in creating a successful model in your workplace, you will also be creating that example to encourage others to follow suit.

hmmm, if in a state school, I'm not convinced that my taxes should be used to pay for time spent at vet visits - I'd rather the money was spent on text books tbh. Possibly I am unreasonable...
Personally I wouldn't expect to be paid for time spent looking after poorly DCs either, but I sort of get the arguments that people make for it.

Viking makes a good point

I do think it's fair enough to provide leave for emergencies in certain situations - mostly when someone can make up the time - but if you can't make up the time and your employer has to pay a sub or temp, then it's a different thing.

In many ways, I'm surprised that workplaces aren't more flexible etc but this is a case where I can see why they feel they can't be.

Text books? They went out with the Ark!

I don't know why you would expect her to be paid when he she is off work? It's not sick leave nor holiday. 4 days is not a lot and if you both took 2 days I don't see the issue. Why on earth would you need to work at home for the sake of a couple of days?

What about the setting of cover for classes? If the teacher is not to be paid for the day, surely they should not be expected to set cover? If they did set cover, then they have worked for at least a part of the day, albeit from home (it usually takes me 1-1.5 hrs).

uh? My DCs use text books every day - at school, though, because they have to share as there aren't enough for everyone so they can't bring them home to work from. It means we have to work out what they need and buy them in order that they can work more productively at home.

Text books are a Very Bad Thing IME.

We have to take unpaid leave but have the option to work it back (we're open 7 days a week)

I have always been paid for days like these.
It's not just for parents though, it's for anyone with caring responsibilities - so an elderly parent who took ill, for example.
Perhaps your wife should stop doing all the unpaid overtime she normally does in this case OP.

I think schools used to be quite generous with leave in such circumstances but have to account for every penny in their budget these days. Also local authorities tend to have policies that head teachers have to adhere to and absence policies are very strict now.

In my school I think you might be entitled to two days at the discretion of the headteacher. Any other leave was unpaid.

of course she shouldn't be paid if she isn't working.

You need to take the time off then if your wife is unable.
It isn't up to an employer to accommodate your ill child, it's your job.
Have you never thought that some families only have one parent working because they don't have cover for illness, or snow days etc.

I've been fortunate enough to work for some HTs who have not deducted any pay but I always ensured that dh and I worked it out the best we could - and my HTs always knew it was only ever 1/2 my responsibility.... if there were something more crucial I was doing then dh would take it, if there was something unmissable dh had to do with work then I was more likely to.
However, you start your questions with Every time...she needs to take time off. If it's happening that regularly, then you obviously lose the goodwill.