Over 70 Occupational sick pay or furlough

paulsm

Hello, a friend who was off work due to being over 70 asked why she was receiving a lot less while being off has been told she was on occupational sick pay and not furloughed as she thought, the explanation was the school wasn't closed but was open for key workers kids, should she have been furloughed or is occ sick pay correct? 

Mrsn

Schools were not expected to use the furlough scheme as they are publicly funded therefore sick pay would seem correct in those circumstances. 

It is also true that schools were not closed, very much still operational but for a reduced capacity physically attending and then online work, welfare checks and lots of other bits happening to fill the void for those not attending.

paulsm

What about if you are working for a cleaning contractor in the school and not the school direct?

Jeremy535897

paulsm said:

What about if you are working for a cleaning contractor in the school and not the school direct?

I would guess the issue was that she is over 70.

p00hsticks

Jeremy535897 said:

paulsm said:

What about if you are working for a cleaning contractor in the school and not the school direct?

I would guess the issue was that she is over 70.

I don't think just being over 70 in itself was enough for you to be classed as extremely vulnerable and told to shield, so unless she had other underlying health conditions, I'm not sure that she would necessarily have even been entitled to sick pay.

Diamandis

Why did she think she was on furlough? What were the conversations she had with her employer regarding not working? 

MILLIEMOGS

Why was she off. I ask as my mother works in exactly the same job, is 79 years old, has just about every condition on the vulnerable list but is not on the shielding list. Herself and her colleagues , most of whom were in a similar situation,were all expected to, and did, work throughout. Had about a 10 "so called" isk assessments, but not working was never given to them as an option by the employer.

Was your friend shielding, or did she choose to isolate. Was she advised by her employer not to work?

paulsm

she was off when the gvt said over 70s shouldn't go into work, not extremely vulnerable but  due to the age, her employer said she would be furloughed but in the end they put her on occ sick pay. Does anyone know if she should have been furloughed, as she didnt work directly for the school but for a contrsctor.

poppy12345

paulsm said:

she was off when the gvt said over 70s shouldn't go into work, not extremely vulnerable but  due to the age, her employer said she would be furloughed but in the end they put her on occ sick pay. Does anyone know if she should have been furloughed, as she didnt work directly for the school but for a contrsctor.

That doesn't mean she should have been sheilding. Being in that age group doesn't mean she's in the vulnerable group. She chose to isolate. No one has any rights to be furloughed, that was always the employers decision, if they decide not to then there was that anyone could do. It's far too late to do anything about it now because the latest date you could be furloughed for the first time was 10th June.

unholyangel

Over 70's were an at risk group (as people in that age range tend to suffer from cardiovascular or blood pressure conditions), but they weren't required to shield. 

That aside, even if she was required to shield, it would be up to the employer whether to furlough 

But what happened with the other employees? Were they furloughed or not? The answer to that question will (imo) tell you whether your friend should have been furloughed. Also, who's decision was it for the friend not to attend? 

Dr_Crypto

Our occupational health risk assessments basically forbade anyone over 70 from working onsite. 

Could this have been the issue? In such a case presumably you’d be entitled to occupational sick pay?