Help! sickness and work cutting my wages in half

[mum2A&L]

Ive just had one of my friends from my work give me a ring - she was having a look through some HR stuff earlier and after 12 weeks sickness our pay gets cut in half (on an ongoinging 12 month period).

Well including the 4 weeks my doc has just signed me off for pregnancy related sickness dizzyness etc (he has put pregnancy related on all the sick notes), it totals 10 weeks (in fact just a few days under).

Problem is i have already had a few weeks off over the last year so it will take it over 12 weeks. plus i had 4 weeks signed off after having the MC as i wasn't coping. impressions i got in the past from work was they where not including the mc towards my total sickness. But even then its still over 12 weeks.


Can they legally cut it in half if it is pregnancy related? its stupid, i would much rather feel better and be able to work than feel as poop as i do now!!! maybe its the hormones but i want to cry. plus my doc and mw have scared me, saying if i can't keep food down there is always the risk i will have to be admitted and put on a drip. i can't do that, it isn't fair on alice if nothing else!!

I feel so trapped! i can't do much as it is, let alone stare at a computer screen all day. i can just about manage an hour before i can start to feel the room spin. but i can't afford to take such a pay cut! that wouldn't even cover my rent!!!

i can't take it today


edit - i just found this:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/f ... nancy.aspx

it says

As a general rule, an employer must not take into account:

absence due to pregnancy-related illness

 

[laracomps]

Oh Sam I completely know where you are coming from.

Do you have hyperemesis? I did and was off work for 8 weeks or so in total I think?

As far as my work was concered, they gave me full pay for 10 weeks out of the 12 months which I had, and then I was down to SSP. I'm sure that its probably legal as they are very hot on things like that at my work.

I ended up going into work with a cold which was making me sick 6 months pregnant cos I couldn't afford not to. I was almost sick all over my managers shoes.

I found this for you but its a bit confusing

Sickness

If you are ill during pregnancy normal sickness rules apply, with a few exceptions. If the illness is pregnancy related it must be recorded as such, it does not count towards your sickness record & you cannot be dismissed for it. For this reason it is a good idea for your doctor to state specifically on your sick notes when an illness is pregnancy related. You should not be treated less favourably than other employees because you are sick, so for instance you should be paid your normal sick pay. Note that if you are sick during your pregnancy and you get less than your normal pay (eg you get Statutory Sick Pay only, or half pay) this could affect your entitlement to Statutory Maternity Pay, please see our factsheet on Maternity Leave & Pay for more information.
If you are off work with a pregnancy related absence (this could include a health and safety suspension, see below) in the four weeks before the week the baby is due, your employer can insist that you begin your maternity leave. This is the only circumstance where your employer has any say into when your maternity leave starts.

If you are not too ill to work, but your job is making you ill, or is not safe to do in pregnancy, then you are not sick, the problem is health and safety.

So if it doesn't count towards your sickness record, does that mean it doesn't rack up your days? I'd ring the CAB if I were you.

As for being admitted to hospital. I was, but only for 24 hours. The reason being I became severely dehydrated - I couldn't even hold down water for 4 weeks. So my advice would be drink 2 litres a day, or try to anyway. And work out if there is anything you can eat. For me I could just about hold down salt and vinegar pringles, and fried egg sandwiches. Don't ask me why as they are both really fatty! Oh and the only drink i could hold down was diet coke (caffeine free) ICE cold. They weren't TOO bothered by the fact I wasn't eating, but I did have to eat and keep something down to come home.

I put off taking tablets because I was worried about baby, but when I was admitted to hospital I HAD to have them. I went home with Buccastem, I took them until I was about 17 weeks. I had 2 a day, it was enough to stop me being sick providing I didn't move too much, i.e. off the sofa! I couldn't work, even tho I had the capabilities to work from home. Is that an option by the way? it might help slightly? Anyway, next time round I'd be happy to take tablets earlier to try and prevent it, Phoebe is fine - just a little tinker! Also take a look at http://www.hyperemesis.org.uk/ (it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, try the cached version in google) as supposedly homeopathy can really help - i'll def be trying it next time.

I had a sicky bug a few weeks ago and it took me right back to how I felt in my pregnancy, put an end to my broodiness I tell you.

I hope this might have helped a bit?! And I've not rambled on too much. If you want to PM/FB/msn me ever feel free. Its awful, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, and then having to worry about work and money - been there, done that, its hard, really hard.

Hugs to you and Alice

 

[mary70]

i think it is legal hun i was off work ill but nearer due date and they started mt mat leave early instead of reducing my pay

 

[tuck]

Basically they cannot use any days that you are absent due to pregnancy related illness for disciplinary purposes, but unfortunatly the days can still be used towards your sick pay entitlement.

 

[mum2A&L]

thanks ladies. i called my HR department up today. They are counting the MC as well - but including that they have worked it out as 13.4 weeks unto the 9th sept as that is when im signed off till at the moment.


They said something about working out my maternity pay based on what i earn between 17 - 25 weeks. i never knew that.

Still i feel a bit better knowing that it isn't as bad as what i thought. i still think its stupid! i can't help feeling like this (well, ok i got myself into this, but i didn't know i would feel this bad!!).

Also, if i had two days holiday and then i end up being signed off sick, do i get them back - i forgot to ask.

Sorry for the panic post last night.

 

[Jade&Evie]

They said something about working out my maternity pay based on what i earn between 17 - 25 weeks. i never knew that.

SMP is based on average earnings- if you are on SSP for 12 weeks then that will bring your 90% SMP down.

hope you are ok x

 

[Jade&Evie]

also have you told tax credits- you may be entitled to more if you only on stat. sick pay

 

[mum2A&L]

also have you told tax credits- you may be entitled to more if you only on stat. sick pay

RAHHHH!!! you just reminded me to check my bank account. It tends to get paid in this day every month, but guess what - there isn't a payment. Ive not heard from them since sending my forms back in! im going to have to call them up now and find out what is going on.


(sorry, cheers for the reply jade!)

 

[Jade&Evie]

[quote="Jade&Evie":3ng5p63s]also have you told tax credits- you may be entitled to more if you only on stat. sick pay

RAHHHH!!! you just reminded me to check my bank account. It tends to get paid in this day every month, but guess what - there isn't a payment. Ive not heard from them since sending my forms back in! im going to have to call them up now and find out what is going on.


(sorry, cheers for the reply jade!)[/quote:3ng5p63s]

did you send them in before the 31st of July.... else your payments will stop.... I hated that advert!

 

[mum2A&L]

[quote="Sam&Alice":127rs792][quote="Jade&Evie":127rs792]also have you told tax credits- you may be entitled to more if you only on stat. sick pay

RAHHHH!!! you just reminded me to check my bank account. It tends to get paid in this day every month, but guess what - there isn't a payment. Ive not heard from them since sending my forms back in! im going to have to call them up now and find out what is going on.


(sorry, cheers for the reply jade!)[/quote:127rs792]

did you send them in before the 31st of July.... else your payments will stop.... I hated that advert![/quote:127rs792]


yep - (but only just 25 ish )

 

[Urchin]

[quote="Sam&Alice":28ofeegm]
They said something about working out my maternity pay based on what i earn between 17 - 25 weeks. i never knew that.

[/quote:28ofeegm]

Yes that's right, you have your due date, count back 15 weeks, then it's the 8 weeks before that that they use to calculate it.

Your SMP can't be more than £112 per week anyway so it may just affect the pay your work will give you to increase your SMP, eg if you get the first 6 weeks of maternity leave @ full pay or something.

 

[Jade&Evie]

[quote="Sam&Alice":kla5he1m]
They said something about working out my maternity pay based on what i earn between 17 - 25 weeks. i never knew that.

Yes that's right, you have your due date, count back 15 weeks, then it's the 8 weeks before that that they use to calculate it.

Your SMP can't be more than £112 per week anyway so it may just affect the pay your work will give you to increase your SMP, eg if you get the first 6 weeks of maternity leave @ full pay or something.[/quote:kla5he1m]

my SMP is £118 p/w and for the first 6 weeks it was 90% of my average earning. Then I had my company policy on top

 

[Gem & Leland]

i got less then cut in half , after 12 weeks i went down to ssp !!!!! and there was nothing i could do about it , most was from my surgery that went wrong , and then i was pregnant and had bad sickness etc !

 

[Urchin]

[quote="Jade&Evie":3gcx22ah][quote="Sam&Alice":3gcx22ah]
They said something about working out my maternity pay based on what i earn between 17 - 25 weeks. i never knew that.

Yes that's right, you have your due date, count back 15 weeks, then it's the 8 weeks before that that they use to calculate it.

Your SMP can't be more than £112 per week anyway so it may just affect the pay your work will give you to increase your SMP, eg if you get the first 6 weeks of maternity leave @ full pay or something.[/quote:3gcx22ah]

my SMP is £118 p/w and for the first 6 weeks it was 90% of my average earning. Then I had my company policy on top [/quote:3gcx22ah]


thats odd

For Babies due on or after 1 April 2007 Statutory Maternity Pay is:

* 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings with no upper limit for the first six weeks of your maternity leave
* for the remaining 33 weeks either £112.75 or 90 per cent of your average earnings (if this 90 per cent rate is less than £112.75)

However, many companies have more generous payment schemes and might pay a high percentage of your salary beyond the statutory 6 weeks of 90 percent pay.

 

[Jade&Evie]

From DWP website:

SMP is paid for:

First 6 weeks 90% of your average weekly earnings with no upper limit
Remaining 33 weeks Standard rate or a rate equal to 90% of your average weekly earnings. You will get whichever rate is lower.

The standard rate from 6 April 2008 is £117.18 per week.

SMP is earnings so your employer will deduct income tax and National Insurance contributions. Your employer may also make other deductions that would be made from your pay such as Trade union subscriptions and pension contributions.

Thats the updated one- so you get practically full pay for the first 6 weeks.

 

[Urchin]

aw that sucks for me! If I'd have known that I would have asked for more at the tribunal I had at work