Iceland volcano: Employee rights for stranded workers
April 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Career News and Advice
I’m stranded and missing work – will I lose pay?
You may do. James Willis, an employment lawyer at legal firm Thomson Snell & Passmore, says that if an employee fails to turn up to work, his or her employer is within its rights to dock pay.
“For an employer to meet their side of the bargain they need to appear for work and be able to work. On the face of it they are not entitled to be paid if they are not there,” he says. “In reality, though, a lot of employers are likely to be more understanding than that.”
The TUC and Local Government Association are urging employers to be flexible with staff who have been unable to travel and are missing work as a result. The TUC’s general secretary, Brendan Barber, says: “We would ask bosses to be sympathetic to the plight of their employees and be flexible in their approach to resolving the situation. Docking wages is an extreme reaction.”
What if I was away on business?
The Federation of Small Businesses says that if staff are stranded after going overseas on business they should continue to be paid as normal. It adds: “In this scenario, however, there is nothing to stop the employer requesting that the employee continue to work during their period of being stranded, as it is likely they will have facilities such as their mobile phone and laptop with them and they are likely to be staying in a hotel with other business facilities available.”
Can they force me to take leave?
As emerged when many workers found themselves snowbound earlier this year, some employers may ask workers to use paid leave to cover the period they are not at work. Of course, if you are stuck on your way back from a holiday you may not have any days left. The TUC has urged employers not to penalise people in this position…
Read the original article at Guardian