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Original poster

Statutory paternity pay - is DPs company just mean?

24 replies

Beanbeany · 23/08/2010 13:23

Hi there. DP will be taking two-weeks paternity leave later this year and will be paid at the standard statutory rate of around £125 per week.

However, we have mentioned this to a number of friends/family (employees and employers, iyswim) and they are all quite Shock as they either received a full salary during paternity leave or routinely pay their employees a full salary. We have yet to find anyone, even working for the smallest company, who was paid at the statutory rate. So, is DP's company being particularly mean? They don't have a reputation for treating their staff well as a rule, although their maternity pay package is actually quite good in comparison with other companies. I know we can't do anything about it but I'm curious as to whether it is an unusual practice. TIA.

OP posts:
AllarmBells · 23/08/2010 13:32

My co is large and international but private. I don't think they go above the statutory min. HTH.

elphiethropp · 23/08/2010 13:34

My company pays statutory. It is a medium sized family run business with a track record of treating employees well.

However they have an insurance scheme type policy for sick pay and holiday pay and in the current climate could not afford to pay over statutory.

Most of the men save their holidays instead of claiming SPP.

emskaboo · 23/08/2010 13:34

I work for a local authority, and it is statutory minimum.

geraldinetheluckygoat · 23/08/2010 13:36

dh's did full pay first week and statutory second. It is a bit crap isn't it? He took holiday for the second week

loopyloops · 23/08/2010 13:36

My DH had the same, we didn't question it tbh, but other colleagues took annual leave instead.

TigerFeet · 23/08/2010 13:38

dh and I both got statutory minimum maternity/paternity pay

dh only took a week's paternity, another week's annual leave then back to work

we had managed to save some money before dd2 was born to cover the difference, plus not having to pay for childcare for dd1 or travel costs for me to get to work helped too.

It's really common, ime it's generally the public sector that get enhanced rates or people who have worked for a company for 10+ years and have an older contract. Cutting back on this sort of thing is an easy way for companies to save money.

nymphadora · 23/08/2010 13:50

Dh is a teacher & only gets stat pay. He doesn't have the option of annual leave.

I work for LA and only get stat pay too. It's not the public sector that is generous , judging by pg threads itsthe civil service.

TigerFeet · 23/08/2010 14:02

sorry nymphadora yes i meant civil service rather than public sector

and NHS to iirc (although that's going back a while so may well not be the case now)

Eglu · 23/08/2010 14:06

I would have thought most people would only be paid statutory pay. As others have said most men take holiday. Is that not what friends of yours have done?

Original poster
Beanbeany · 23/08/2010 14:10

Wow, quick responses. Thanks, everyone. Well, at least I know we're not the only ones! DP is trying to save every scrap of annual leave and was hoping to use that as well as the paternity but maybe we'll just have to manage with annual leave alone. The company prides itself on working its staff into the ground and I was hoping that DP would get a good long break for a change! Thanks again.

OP posts:
Original poster
Beanbeany · 23/08/2010 14:13

No, Eglu, all the friends we've spoken to (with a variety of jobs but all private sector, iirc) got two weeks with full pay.

OP posts:
Eglu · 23/08/2010 14:29

Wow, you must have some lucky friends, with really nice employers.

craftynclothy · 23/08/2010 14:46

Dh's employer (at the time, he's changed jobs since) offered two options
A) Take two weeks at statutory paternity pay and only be paid statutory paternity pay for both weeks
B) Take one week as holiday and one week as statutory leave and you'd get full pay for both weeks

Dh did B both times.

nymphadora · 23/08/2010 15:07

It annoys me with dh though as teachers don't have the option of A/L. Dh is also on call through his this time though thats a whole other complication (I know its not allowed!)

Original poster
Beanbeany · 23/08/2010 15:25

Eglu, it's funny because that's what made me post this in the first place. Some do have nice employers, others really not nice at all (although obviously nice enough to pay a full salary Grin) which made me think that DP's employers must be really Draconian!

I do think the one week holiday, one week statutory at full pay is fair. Very, very cheeky to have your DH on call, Nymphadora!

OP posts:
FloraFinching · 23/08/2010 15:27

DH is in the public sector.
He gets one week at full pay, one at statutory. TBH I thought that was pretty good.

Meglet · 23/08/2010 15:28

My XP was only paid the statutory minimum for paternity leave. He didn't take it and just had 2 weeks annual leave instead. Mind you, he could have saved up some money in advance so he could afford to take paternity leave but he wouldn't do it Hmm.

The local government dept I used to work for gave Dads 2 weeks full pay for paternity leave.

nymphadora · 23/08/2010 15:32

Its a v complicated situation & even the unions (he has 2) haven't heard of it before. He will be able to claim the time back but thats easier said than done!

ilovemydogandMrObama · 23/08/2010 15:34

DP got full pay for 2 weeks of paternity leave which ended up being almost 4 weeks as he works weird shifts. He spoke to his manager about it, and they worked out he should be paid for 70 hours (35 hours a week x 2).

But it was at full pay rate. Employer private sector,

Remotew · 23/08/2010 15:41

My company pays statutory with a small top up for paternity as they do for maternity.

Lizcat · 23/08/2010 16:35

DH only got statutory and to be truthful his boss did a hide away whilst I was in labour so when DH phoned after the two days to tell them that we had a girl the had had no management and were floundering so DH had to go in and only got afternoons off. Guess what his fantastic boss turned up at 5pm on the last day of DHs supposed paternity leave. Wrong I know, but DH has no union and is on performance related pay so what can you do.

skidoodly · 26/08/2010 17:08

My DH is a Civil Servant (you know, the lazy scroungers who are always off sick and getting paid to sit at home doing nothing) and he got 3 days at full pay and 2 weeks statutory.

ruddynorah · 26/08/2010 17:15

Dh police civilian. He gets one week full pay, one week stat. So he just takes one week then adds on 4 wks annual leave.

Jojay · 26/08/2010 17:19

My Dh works for a small company and gets statutory pay only.

He saved 2 wks holiday instead.

But his company did claim the statutory pay anyway and gave it to him, so he got that in a lump sum.

Not sure if you're supposed to do that or not but it worked out ok for us.

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