Sick Pay

seek30

Hi,
I have recently changed jobs and just got my last pay check from my previous employer. It is only 1/3 of what it should be and the only thing I can think of that may have reduced the amount was that I was sick for about 3 weeks during the year. It is company policy to pay sick leave but that you give the company whatever social welfare payment you receive- I did not get any social welfare as I did not have enough stamps -Is it legal for the company to deduct what I would have received from social welfare.

Doom

Check your previous employment contract, it should outline it there.

juan.kerr

Contact the company and ask them?

seek30

I just wanted to know my rights before I called them - they are quiet difficult to deal with. My contract states that I get paid when out sick but it does not stipulate what happens if I do not have enough stamps to claim sick benefit.

Dingle_berry

Shouldn't your payslip reflect that? Could it be that it went over your tax credits so you got taxed more than usual?
The fastest way to get it sorted would be to start with your payslip and the payroll/salaries dept

Doom

If they don't clearly have it laid out in either a contract or in a sick pay scheme, they cannot just decide to deduct money, ask for a exact written brake down of these deductions and where this deduction is allowed in writing too.

seek30

Thanks Doom thats what I thought.

Wishbone Ash

Had you overtaken annual leave prior to leaving your last employer?

When our employees leave with overtaken annual leave (or time owed to us), we deduct it from the last pay period.

Mrs OBumble

seek30 wrote: »

Is it legal for the company to deduct what I would have received from social welfare.

I very much doubt it: I suspect that how much you get depends on your personal circumstances (ie how many kids and other adults you are supporting) as well as your number of stamps.


You need to see your payslip.

Doom

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I very much doubt it: I suspect that how much you get depends on your personal circumstances (ie how many kids and other adults you are supporting) as well as your number of stamps.


You need to see your payslip.

It is if its in the sick pay scheme terms, I worked for a company before and they could do this as it was in the terms, we had to endorse the social sick payment to them.

Wishbone Ash

seek30 wrote: »

Is it legal for the company to deduct what I would have received from social welfare.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I suspect that how much you get depends on your personal circumstances

In my experience the employer doesn't need to know how much the employee will be paid by Social Welfare. The employer simply deducts what they would have earned had they not been absent.

On a few occasions, I've heard employee say that they earned more from their Social Welfare payments.

seek30

I didn't get anything from social welfare as I didn't have enough stamps - and it is company policy to pay you if you are certified sick

Mrs OBumble

Doom wrote: »

It is if its in the sick pay scheme terms, I worked for a company before and they could do this as it was in the terms, we had to endorse the social sick payment to them.

Yeah, but in the OP's case, they got zero from welfare. It's a bit hard to endorse a non-existant cheque over to anyone!

My suspicion is that the employer didn't believe that they employee didn't get any sickness benefit, so deducted anyway.