(Ian West/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Morrisons supermarket will cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff who are forced to isolate as a Covid contact.
The BBC reports the supermarket chain joins a list of retailers, including Ocado, Ikea and Next, in confirming the move.
Unvaccinated Morrisons workers who are told to isolate but test negative will now get statutory sick pay only, of £96.35 a week.
In England, unvaccinated people are required to isolate for 10 days even if they are a Covid contact.
Staff will get full sick pay regardless of vaccination status if they test positive for Covid. The firm pays staff at least £10 per hour.
The move was first floated by Morrisons chief executive, Dave Potts, in a conference call in September, the Guardian reported.
He said it could help tackle the “biblical costs of managing Covid” after being on the “front foot” in helping employees stay safe during the pandemic.
He said the move was also intended to encourage workers to get themselves vaccinated.
Morrisons said the sick pay cut only applies to workers who are unvaccinated by choice, and that each employee will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
The requirement for fully-vaccinated people to isolate when exposed to Covid was dropped in England in August.
This meant unvaccinated workers were more likely to take time off than their vaccinated colleagues as a Covid contact.
Employees who cannot have Covid vaccines for medical reasons are not obliged to isolate in England.
Earlier this month, Next said it was taking a similar move, as it had to balance staff and shareholder needs.
Online grocer Ocado confirmed to the BBC on Thursday that it had adopted the same policy as Next.
Other supermarket chains such as Tesco and Asda are not yet reported to have made the move.
