Scottish Business Minister asks Scotland’s tourism businesses to continue to support employees through pandemic

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11 March 2021

Dear Employer

SUPPORTING WORKERS THROUGH SELF-ISOLATION

I am writing to you as a valued employer in Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector.

No-one is more aware than you that COVID-19 is affecting all of our daily lives including our workplaces, and we recognise the very challenging position that many employers and workers are facing. In these exceptional times, adopting a Fair Work approach is more important than ever.

The refreshed statement of Fair Work practices published on 19th July 2020 reiterates the shared expectation for Fair Work to be at the heart of Scotland’s economic recovery.

The statement encourages employers, workers and trade unions to continue working in partnership in the national interest to ensure the right decisions about workplace issues are reached.  This includes encouraging employers to pay workers while they are sick, self-isolating or absent from work following medical advice relating to COVID-19. No worker should be financially penalised for following medical advice.

Powers over sick pay are reserved to the UK Government.  Scottish Ministers have written repeatedly to UK Ministers urging them to strengthen the UK welfare safety net, whose pre-existing shortcomings have been further exposed as a result of the pandemic, and to ensure it supports, and is responsive to the needs of, workers and the unemployed in financial need.  We share the particular concerns raised over workers who are not able to access Statutory Sick Pay.

Ministers have also written to the UK Government raising concerns that Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is not sufficiently responsive to the impacts of Covid-19. As it is paid at only £95.85 per week, SSP is far too low to meet basic needs and should be increased to match the living wage. Its restriction to only those workers earning £120 or above per week leaves many low paid workers without any support.

As we begin to see the recovery of our sector on the horizon, I would encourage you to do all that you can to support that recovery by helping your workers to self-isolate safely, and without penalty.

JAMIE HEPBURN