Stena Sick Pay – TSSA accepts new sick pay arrangements

TSSA has now formally accepted Stena’s proposals to introduce new sick pay arrangements, having persuaded the company to considerably improve on its original proposals made in November 2020. The new arrangements apply from 1 January 2021. 

Members will be acutely aware that Stena chose to ‘suspend’ its previous sick pay arrangements back in March 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that staff absent from work owing to illness would only receive Statutory Sick Pay (currently £95.85 per week), and receive nothing for the first 3 days off. The company was able to do this because the sick pay arrangements were discretionary, not contractual. 

TSSA made it clear to Stena at the time that the company’s decision would cut across their effective management of the Covid-19 risks. TSSA pointed out that causing staff to suffer a significant drop in income if they were off sick would undoubtedly encourage some that were infected to come to work out of necessity and then expose colleagues to that infection. 

TSSA has therefore welcomed the fact that the company has taken on board our concerns and has proposed to the union a reinstatement of some form of enhanced sick pay arrangements, and specific arrangements to address the Covid-19 risk. 

Whilst TSSA recognises that the current financial challenges faced by the company means not reinstating the much more generous pre-March 2020 arrangements, the union will continue to argue for a return to those more generous arrangements when the Covid-19 crisis is over and the finances of the company improve. 

Details of the new sick pay arrangements are set out in the appendix to this circular. 

TSSA – the only effective voice for Stena’s shore based staff in clerical and administrative grades 

TSSA is the only union with bargaining and representation rights for Stena clerical and administrative staff, along with other shore based staff that are not dockers or managers. 

TSSA covers CSAs, Administrative and Barista staff along with staff in the Irish Sea Trade, Freight, and Travel teams in the following locations: Cairnryan, Glasgow, Birkenhead, Heysham, Holyhead, Belfast, Fishguard, Harwich. Staff in these groups are of course free to join any other trade union that they wish, but no other union has a say in dealing collectively with the employer. 

Only TSSA can elect and appoint union representatives for these staff. With the departure of Daniel Clegg from Holyhead, there are vacancies at that location for both a TSSA staff representative and a TSSA health and safety representative. 

TSSA also seeks staff representatives and health and safety representatives for Glasgow, Birkenhead, Heysham, Belfast, Fishguard, and Harwich. 

If you want to bring about positive change in Stena and your workplace, and you are interested in becoming a TSSA rep., please contact Steve Coe, TSSA Organising Director – by email: coes@tssa.org.uk, or phone 07769 682804. 

2021 Pay Claim and Job Security 

TSSA is seeking a pay increase for our Stena members from the anniversary date of 1 January 2021. Your reps are mindful that the company offered to increase salaries by 2.1% from 1 January 2020, an offer that was withdrawn when Covid19 struck. They are also mindful that other staff were given a pay increase last year. 

However, TSSA accepts that Stena is in a difficult financial position because of the Covid-19 crisis, which led to redundancies last year. The union is very aware of the importance to our members of job security. TSSA is therefore keen to avoid further job losses and will be raising the issue with Stena as a part of the pay negotiations. 

Covid-19: guidance to TSSA transport members 

With national lockdowns currently in place and a new strain of the virus taking a grip, it is vital that TSSA members follow health and safety procedures and know their workplace rights. 

Please see the TSSA website.

TSSA CIRCULAR 4/21 DATED 28 JANUARY 2021 APPENDIX – SICK PAY ARRANGEMENTS 

New Stena Sick Pay Arrangements from 1 January 2021 Staff in their first year of employment that are absent from work owing to sickness /illness will receive the equivalent of the government-determined Statutory Sick Pay (currently £95.85 per week). 

After a year in employment with Stena, individuals that are absent from work owing to sickness /illness will receive the equivalent of the government determined Statutory Sick Pay (currently £95.85 per week) for the first 7 days. 

After 7 days, individuals absent from work owing to sickness /illness will then be eligible for what Stena is terming ‘Company Sick Pay’, which will be paid at 75% of contracted basic pay, and this rate of pay will be applied to that 2nd week and every week after that until the end of the 16th week. 

After the 16th week, individuals that remain absent from work owing to sickness /illness will receive the equivalent of the government-determined Statutory Sick Pay (currently £95.85 per week) until the end of the 52nd week. After that, sick pay will end. 

Payment of Company Sick Pay will be subject to full compliance with the notification and certification processes set out by Stena in its Attendance Management Procedure, and members are urged to acquaint themselves with the procedure and ensure they comply with it. 

Please be clear that these arrangements are not contractual, and Stena may choose to withdraw from the arrangements for enhanced sick pay from weeks 2 to 16 at any time. If that should happen, then Statutory Sick Pay will apply. 

Special Covid-19 Pay Arrangements 

An individual that tests positive for Covid-19 infection and then is absent from work will be paid Company Sick Pay (75% of normal contracted pay) instead of Statutory Sick Pay during the first week of absence. 

An individual that is required by Stena to self-isolate as a result of having been in close contact with infected colleagues in the workplace will be paid their normal salary (100%) during their absence. 

Individuals should self-isolate if they, or someone they live with, has symptoms of Covid-19. They should also do so if told to by NHS Track and Trace, or the NHS Covid App. Those self isolating will only receive Statutory Sick Pay whilst absent from work for that reason. However, anyone that has symptoms of Covid-19 should get a test as soon as possible. If the test is positive, they should immediately report to Stena that they are absent from work owing to sickness /illness. They will then be paid Company Sick Pay (75% of normal pay).