Employees at high street retailer Wilko have reportedly been told that they should attend work even if they have tested positive for Covid. A memo has been leaked on social media, showing that both shop and warehouse staff should go to work as normal if they have no symptoms.
Wilko employs around 20,000 people and the move means that if people want to stay away in order to avoid passing the virus on the colleagues or the public, they will not be paid.
The Mirror has reported that the memo states: "If you test positive for Covid-19 and feel well you can continue to come to work, if you feel too unwell to work, you should follow the absence policy."
The retailer's rules came into force on February 24 in England, and four days later in Wales. The policy will apply in Scottish stores and warehouses from Monday, March 21.
The policy has emerged just as the numbers of people testing positive in the UK is on the rise, along with an increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital.
Clara Phipps, who posted the guidance on Twitter, said her daughter, a Wilko employee, returned home with the memo.
"We have clinically vulnerable family members in our household, as do many of her coworkers," she wrote on twitter. "We are utterly dismayed by this callous interpretation of the current guidelines. We have CEV members in our household and this lax attitude to health is deeply troubling."
People in England are no longer legally required to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19, under government guidance that came into force in England on February 22. There is now no longer a legal requirement to isolate after catching Covid, meaning you can technically go to work even while you have the virus.
However, guidance is in place until April 1 for people to isolate for five full days. The guidance remains that if you are able to work from home you should do so to avoid spreading the virus to others.
If you are not able to work from home but feel well enough to work, speak to your employer. One anonymous employee at a Wilko UK warehouse told The Mirror staff were informed of the new policy last month.
"In a briefing, team members were told if they have Covid-19 and are well enough, they can still come to work, but if they have Covid-19 and don't come in, it will be regarded as a regular absence. How it works now and whether you get paid for the absence is at the manager's discretion," she said.
Mrs King, whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity, said the company's Covid absence policy states you'll only get full sick pay for your first sickness.
"Staff are entitled to one Covid related sickness on company sick pay, after that it's SSP," one worker said.
Another said: "So if you have time off with an injury for instance, and then get Covid-19, you won't get paid the second occasion, it's basically them telling you, you won't get paid even if you have Covid-19," she said.
Mrs King said staff, many of whom are on just above the minimum wage and facing a cost of living crisis, are worried that if they take a day off, they will lose a vital days' pay.
"Employees are now coming to work with the virus, because if it's their second occasion they won't get paid."
She said hundreds of staff have already left the business since it announced a sick pay policy shake-up earlier in the pandemic. A Mirror investigation as Covid numbers surged in 2020 revealed the chain's plans to withdraw sick pay for all 21,000 workers after their second absence.
The rules meant if a worker is ill more than once in a year, they won't be paid for it beyond the statutory minimum. While the chain later put the sick pay reforms on hold, it pushed them through in August last year.
Until then, Wilko employees were entitled to up to four sickness days on company pay before reverting to the first three days of sick leave unpaid. But under new rules, if a Wilko employee has a single day of sickness they will have no further entitlement to company sick pay for the next 12 months.
"The amount of good people who have left is scary, everyone is looking for work elsewhere," she said.
A Wilko spokesman told The Mirror: "We’re a family business that’s looked after our team for over 90 years through good times and bad. We operate an enhanced company sick pay policy, and support those team members most in need.
"We’ve updated our coronavirus advice to team members in line with government guidelines and will continue to serve customers to our best ability and look after team members who need our help."
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