Great Britain: Morrisons supermarkets cutting sick pay for unvaccinated employees who need to self-isolate

‘From 1 October, following UK government confirmation that all adults have had the opportunity to get double vaccinated, we will no longer be paying full sick pay for pinged colleagues who have chosen not to be vaccinated,’ the Morrisons supermarket chain announced. This lowering of sick pay will only affect employees who are not fully vaccinated and have to quarantine. Employees suffering Covid-19 symptoms and those who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated and need to isolate will still be able to receive sick pay. The group claims to have taken this decision to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic and recurrent staff absences. However, unions and HR experts have called for vigilance, expressing alarm that some employees may, as a consequence, no longer respect the quarantine in order to protect their salaries. The trade union Unite’s national health and safety adviser, Rob Miguel noted, “Unite absolutely encourages people who are able to get vaccinated, but we also strongly believe the process should be voluntary as there are many people unable to be vaccinated for legitimate reasons,” before adding, “Such strong-arm tactics will result in issues around equalities, human rights and ethical breaches.” Anti-vaccine activists, meanwhile, have called for a boycott of the Morrisons supermarket chain.