The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Employees at the Spalding branch of a food manufacturer say they’re angry at proposed changes to sick pay.
Dalehead Foods is proposing changes which mean both staff on an annual salary and those and paid by the hour would need to be certified off work for more than ten days before they can access sick pay at its Fulney Lane North base.
Currently contracts say they can claim after five days of illness.
Those working a four-day week would have to be off for eight days before getting sick pay.
Employees who contacted The Voice say the proposed change for salaried staff is being brought in throughout the group, but the change for those being paid hourly is only being brought in at the Spalding site and will remain at five days for those working elsewhere in the country.
In a letter to Spalding-based employees announcing the 45-day consultation, Dalehead Foods’ Spalding site director Konrad Pacholski, says the changes are “in order to look at ways to put forward a potential pay increase among all grades, as well as addressing the continued costs incurred as a result of high and unacceptable levels of absenteeism across the site.”
The letter also states the company is looking to reward people with 100 per cent attendance, fund events and review hours of work “to allow more flexibility”.
But it continues: “In the unlikely event that the changes are not accepted, one option available to the company may be to offer re-engage employees on new terms incorporating the proposed changes, which involves serving notice to terminate existing contracts of employment.”
One employee who wished to remain anonymous said: “There’s a lot of unhappy staff.
“Salaried staff, those paid every month, are going to struggle without two weeks’ pay.
“It will be especially difficult for those paid by the hour, many of whom have to live hand-to-mouth.
“Half of a salary usually goes on mortgage and bills so how will people cope without that if they’re genuinely sick?”
Another anonymous employee added: “We’ve been given jackets saying we’re ‘2020 Food Heroes’. This is one way to treat supposed heroes.”
A spokesman for Dalehead Foods commented: “We are currently in consultation with the employees at our site in Spalding around a small number of proposed changes to the terms and conditions of their employment. It would not be appropriate to comment further while the consultation is on-going.”
