Royal Mail has been accused of threatening to dock workers’ pay if they call in sick.
The Mirror has heard from postal workers who claim managers have begun telling staff who report being too ill to work that they risk lose a day’s wages.
Royal Mail insisted there had been no change of policy.
One postie told the Mirror: “If you’ve done more than a year in the job you get sick pay. But where I work, we’ve had people phone in sick but they’ve been told by their manager they won’t be paid.
“It seems to be a new thing. These are people who didn’t go off sick during the pandemic, they worked through, and now this.”
The Communication Workers Union said it has had multiple reports of workers being told sick leave will be seen as “unauthorised absence” for the foreseeable future.
It comes as the latest 48-hour strike by more than 115,000 Royal Mail workers continues on Thursday.
Royal Mail said: “There has been no change to our existing sick leave policy. Any member of staff with genuine and necessary absence for sickness on a strike day will continue to be paid.
“We have seen increased sick leave on and around strike days, and on occasion we might request a doctor’s note, or, for example, a positive Covid test result, to confirm the reason for absence.”
But the CWU claims the alleged threat to not pay staff also applies to non-strike days.
Sources at Royal Mail say its sickness absence levels are three times the national average.
A backlog of undelivered letters and parcels built up today on the first day of the two-day strike.
The CWU said it offered to meet bosses on Tuesday with suggested solutions to avert the latest strikes.
These included a back-dated pay deal of 9% over 18 months, and a long-term job security commitment from boss Simon Thompson.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “Posties are facing an outright assault on their livelihoods and dignity, and have no choice but to see this dispute through to its conclusion.”
