Author: simon
IW Council Tell Staff: Snow Stopping You Getting To Work? Take It As Annual Leave! (updated)
Thursday, 7th January, 2010 at 12:20 pm, Isle of Wight
Island-wide, Isle of Wight Council, News
We’ve heard something completely unbelievable about the Isle of Wight Council this morning.
VentnorBlog has seen an email sent to all council staff on Tuesday evening – as snow was falling on the Island – in which the council stated, “If anyone is unable to get into work due to bad weather, this time must be taken as annual leave or flexi time.”
Seemingly at odds is the council advice to Islanders not to make journeys unless absolutely necessary, while their still-standing advice to council staff is that they will have to knock days off their own holiday allowance if they can’t make it to work.
Council staff unhappy
Not surprisingly many staff at the council are pretty unhappy about this and have been in contact with their union representatives.
Mark Chiverton of Unison has been in touch with the council a number of times since Tuesday evening, but as yet, the council are sticking to their line about the holidays.
He told VB, “I and many of the council staff are dismayed at the council’s position. It compounds the general feeling of how the staff are being treated by the council, such as the still ongoing dispute over changes to car allowances.
“Besides the weather conditions, many staff are having to stay away from work to look after children, due to the council making the decision to close the schools.
“Obviously sense needs to be applied to this. It’s quite right that people who live right next to work should, if they can, get into work. What would be reasonable is a flexible approach by the council with people who can’t get into work because they live far away not being penalised.”
VB is contacting the council to find out their view on this and if they’re planning to change the position.
Update: This statement received by the council at 5.35pm
Stuart Love, IW Council director of economy and environment, said: “The council has requested that, during the inclement weather, staff who are not able to reach their place of work, fulfil their public service roles either in an alternative location or by working from home.
“In accordance with common practice up and down the country in both the public and private sectors, those unable to do this will be required to take leave or use flexi time to make up for their absence.
“Such an approach is, I am sure, supported by council tax payers particularly those who rely on the IW Council for services. It is also only fair on the great many staff who have made appropriate alternative arrangements or who have managed – often showing great determination – to attend work as normal.
“The advice has been that only necessary journeys should be taken while these conditions persist. We would hope that our staff would view the requirement to get into work as such a necessary journey.
“However there are bound to be some cases where special circumstances prevail and we will of course take such instances into account when deciding whether lost time needs to be made up.”
Image: Purpleslog under CC BY-SA 2.0
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This is not unusual employer behaviour. Lots of businesses on the mainland are saying the same thing to staff.
Perhaps employers should be concentrating more on things like remote access for those at home with internet connections.
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How frightening is it that treating employees like this is becoming normal? It’s like they’re being treated as if they’re liars, fined for something that’s beyond their control, when everyone knows that transportation is impossible.
Just because it’s becoming normal doesn’t mean that it’s right.
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I agree Pat, just because other people do it doesn’t mean it’s reasonable. I think the council should reconsider their position.
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They’re lucky, most companies (supermarkets for instance) just don’t pay employees who can’t make it in.
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This is perfectly normal – why should those who can make it in and get child cover etc be expected to work as per normal and those that do not still get the same benefits? I had the same problem a few years ago (i was a single aprent) when my sons school was closed unexpectedly due to the snow – it was ‘get in or lose a days pay’ sort of thing then – and that was for a public sector job. I found alternative childcare, drove through icy conditions to get there, said i could work late to make up for the time i had lost that morning only to be slated for ‘changing my working hours without notice’ – couldn’t win – not surprisingly i nearly ended up with a nervous breakdown working there – never again! Had they just said on the phone that morning ‘don’t worry about coming in, just take a days leave’ I would have been much happier, but, hey, none of them were parents. Council workers get a fair amount of leave already, small businesses would not be able to afford to pay their staff for this time off unless it is annual leave, can you imagine the impact on their budgets for all their staff to be given an extra week paid leave!
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Have the council taken on Mr Gradgrind as CEO? Living on a major island route we have seen the effects on transport since tuesday evening, and as council taxpayers feel that the council should have greater consideration for their staff.
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but what about the council employees like myself who have been able to get to work to find it closed. I don’t want to take my annual leave, i’ve got about one day left and thats booked for later in the year. If i’ve made the effort to actually arrive at work and my line manager knows this what happens?
btw, i didn’t get this email, this was news to me!?
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The email was sent at 17:10 on Tuesday. If you’ve not been able to get in since you won’t have known.
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Well if the council had invested in grit rather than wasting it on square triangles in Shanklin then the lovely new gritters they invested a fortune in would have something to do, and more people would have been able to get to work/school
It was policy when I was younger that if you couldn’t get in then you took it as leave
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We should’ve had the salt/gritters out much much earlier, especially after this trumpet blowing back in mid December http://iwcp.co.uk/news/news/council-shows-true-grit-at-threat-of-seasonal-freeze-30294.aspx
I’ve got to work every day this week, but only because I walk and go on the hovercraft.
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If your employer closes your place of work and you are willing to work, you cannot be deducted wages or be made to take leave/time in lieu unless your contract specifically allows this.
(ex-union rep hat on)
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Since this global cooling started I have heard the bosses of M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury say that all staff failing to arrive will have to make up the time or take it as holiday. If they don’t, they won’t get paid.
Why (as usual) should council and state employees get a better deal than everyone else?
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In my view its got to be either
Time of in Lieu
Annual Leave
Unpaid leave
Take your pick really, but there should be no pressure to do something which will compromise ones personal health and well being. Organisations should be planning for such eventualities anyway, asking employees to report to an alternative site, in the case of the Council for example, and not fire fighting when it conditions`unexpectedly occur`.
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This is outragous! Does it apply to teachers, because they too are Council staff? Mr Pugh, please intervene and spread some common sense and stop these “bully boy” tactics. Rita.
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Classic! “We would hope that our staff would view the requirement to get into work as such a necessary journey.” Yeah, so risk your life to push a bit of paper, that can wait a couple of days, around the desk.
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All staff working for the IOW NHS trust are being told the same thing! Even if I get in late my line manager will take it out my annual leave allowence
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In 1981 I was trapped in Wales for 3 weeks by the snow – the M4 was closed all that time. I worked for the government at that time and it cost me 3 weeks leave. This is nothing new
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So, do council employees (and plenty of others for that matter) need to make a claim against the council for failure to keep the public transport infrastructure (including roads) usable during this weather situation? Sounds very much like they are having their cake and eating it too. As usual it seems like the workers of the country have to bear the brunt of the cost for years of infrastructure neglect, rather than the large businesses that should be better able to absorb a few days of lost productivity.
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Unions should take this up with the council
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The entire fault lies with a council that was ill-prepared (i.e. broke) for the forewarned inevitability of bad weather. As a result schools are closed, parents have to stay at home to look after their children, thus neglecting their work, which is in itself unaccessable to them because of the same neglect of the roads….leaving our businesses stranded, our shops empty, our buses stranded, our hotels devoid of guests and the ones they have, trapped.
But thats OK..Mr.Pugh can still get down to the Crab for his pint.
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Thanks No 5 for pointing out where Mr Pugh drinks – handy hint for avoiding him when I’m on a night out! I believe there was also an email to staff on Tuesday evening saying that no school closures were envisaged and that there were no transport problems. This was sent after the buses were grinding to a halt as they struggled to get up the hills on the Newport-Ryde route. You can spin some things, e.g. staff love working at the Isle of Wight Council – you can’t spin other things e.g. stalled buses, terrible road gritting and very unhappy bus users walking home in the snow. And yet still they spin – like the wheels on the stranded buses…
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Lets hope we all remember this when its council election time!
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And as long as his mates are alright
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Dave for the good of the island resign
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I’m sorry but I agree … some people are too quick not to bother to TRY and get in, while there are others who will go all out to make it. If you are paying the ones who don’t get in, what do you do; give the ones who have a ’snow bonus’! It works both ways!
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Will the MP’s lose money if the do not get to London?
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Will the Leader of the Council lose money if he does not get in?
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I have been getting around the island just fine since Wednesday morning. It takes a little longer and you need to take great care in places, but it’s possible. Anyone failing to attend work isn’t trying very hard. I say don’t pay them. Teachers included. (If they do go in they can help grounds staff clear paths and clear up.)
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Shobba Offshore Wind Farm Approved report “I have just flew over Thames Estuary”.You do get around.
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