The following policy was approved by the Board in September 2017, backdated to April 2017 as a collective agreement which was therefore a variation to all paid staff’s contracts.
Employees who are unable to work through ill health will be entitled to sick pay up to the following in any twelve month period:
(a) After one year of continuous employment, two months pay
(b) After two years of continuous employment, three months pay
(c) After three years of continuous employment, four months pay
The first week of sick pay in any six month period will be paid at the usual pay rate of the employee. Any subsequent sick pay will be capped at the real living wage (as specified at www.livingwage.org.uk updated in April of each year – £10.90 as of April 2023) and paid in accordance with the usual working hours of the employee concerned.
Employees who have successfully completed their probationary period (usually six months) but have served less than a year of continuous employment will be entitled to one week of sick pay, paid at the usual rate of pay.
For any further absence due to ill-health the employer will pay Statutory Sick Pay (“SSP”) to you in accordance with the relevant regulations where you satisfy the necessary eligibility requirements of the scheme (As of April 2023 £109.40 per week for absences lasting four days or more and up to 28 weeks total absence).
Explanatory Notes
For payroll purposes, we will define the entitlement for each member of staff based on their hours and then maintain a spreadsheet of the days lost each month (e.g. for an employee working 30 hours per week this will be four days).
If the total days lost within a rolling six month period exceeds the entitlement, further days off will be paid at the reduced rate.
For example, someone working full-time who was off sick for one day in April and two days in May would be entitled to full pay for the first two days of sickness in the period 1st June to 30th September. Subsequent days off sick in that period would be paid at the capped rate. If this employee did not have any days off in this period, come October they will be entitled to full pay for the first three days of sickness because the one day in April will no longer be considered.
Note following example to be updated
For example a full time employee paid £20,661 (bottom of scale 5 with two years of service who was off sick for a continuous period would receive sick pay as follows:
- £397.33 per week for the first week (usual salary)
- £323.75 per week for the next 12 weeks (bottom scale 3)
- £92.05 per week for the next 15 weeks (Statutory Sick Pay)
In practice this is implemented by making deductions the month after the sick leave has occurred: in the above example, deducting £29.59 for each day off after the first 5 days.
Figures have been updated – correct May 2023.
Gwynedd Citizens Advice 