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John Lewis will pay staff full sick pay regardless of vaccination status
The retailer will also continue to employ new members of staff who aren’t vaccinated
John Lewis has said that all of its staff will receive full sick pay regardless of their vaccination status, saying it doesn’t ‘believe it’s right’ to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated workers differently.
Following the announcement that Ikea, Next and Morrisons would be cutting the sick pay for unvaccinated workers having to self-isolate, John Lewis’ operations director Andrew Murphy has said he ‘casts no judgement’.
Writing in a post on LinkedIn, Murphy added the firm was ‘not going to make any change of this type’, saying: “We’re conscious that some businesses have changed their sick pay policy with regard to unvaccinated employees in some Covid-related absence scenarios.
“[But] we just don’t believe it’s right to create a link between a partner’s vaccination status and the pay they receive.
“Leadership teams from every business have had to work incredibly hard to navigate the Covid years. There has been no map, guidebook or training programme to help anyone find the best way through. Very often, there’s just a choice between a range of unappealing options.
“When life increasingly seems to present opportunities to create division – and with hopes rising that the pandemic phase of Covid may be coming to an end – we’re confident that this is the right approach for us.”
Murphy also confirmed that John Lewis will continue to employ new members of staff who aren’t vaccinated.
Ikea UK / Twitter
Currently, unvaccinated employees at Morrisons, Ikea and Next who are told to isolate only get statutory sick pay of £96.35 a week, unlike their jabbed colleagues who will receive full sick pay.
Ikea was one of the first retailers to announce the controversial policy, saying in a statement at the start of this month: “The effects of Covid continue to evolve and impact industries all over the world. Since the start of the pandemic, Ikea has managed to absorb the significant cost increases experienced across the supply chain while keeping prices as low and stable as we possibly can.
“Now, like many other retailers, we have had to raise our prices to mitigate the impact on our business. As prices are influenced not only by the raw material prices but also by transportation, logistical costs and local market conditions, price adjustments differ from country to country.
“Whilst individual price increases vary, the average increase is 10% in the UK, in line with the global average of 9%.”