Yeovil district hospital to give outsourced workers sick pay from day one

Outsourced employees working at NHS Trust Yeovil district hospital will receive full sick pay for if they have to self-isolate due to contracting or being in contact with someone who has Covid-19 (Coronavirus).

Hospital cleaners, porters, security and catering who are contracted to work for the hospital have not been receiving sick pay for the first three days of sick leave since the beginning of the pandemic. However, following on from an agreement with the employees representative, trade union GMB, workers outsourced by private organisation Simply Serve will now be able to claim statutory sick pay from day one.

Employees at the hospital are now able to claim up to £94.25 per week for up to 28 weeks, but only once they have been away from work for more than four consecutive days.

Tim Northover, organiser at GMB, said: “We are extremely pleased that Yeovil District Hospital has accepted our demands to pay staff in self-isolation full sick pay from day one. This is especially important to our members working for Simply Serve who are not on NHS terms and conditions.

"GMB Union look forward to continuing our constructive industrial relations with management at Yeovil District Hospital to protect and support NHS staff through this challenging time.”