HMRC has different eligibility rules for different types of employment for the SSP. The SSP grants eligible applicants £ 96.35 per week if they are too sick to work and is paid by employers for up to 28 weeks. These payments have become crucial for many workers in 2020 as the coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the economy and the government has been urged to extend payments to ineligible staff.

“Temporary workers whose contract does not extend between assignments are subject to the condition that they are employees and meet the eligibility conditions for the SSP during the entire period of incapacity for work until the end of the period of employment. assignment (for reasons other than the avoidance of liability of the SSP) or entitlement to The SSP terminates for another reason, as indicated on form SSP1.

“Temporary workers who are salaried and meet the eligibility conditions become eligible for the SSP from the first day they have performed work under their contract. For agency workers who have an agreed future assignment which is to begin no later than eight weeks after the end of the current assignment, eligibility for the SSP will arise from the first day of that future assignment, as if it were the same mission, even if they did not perform any work in the framework of the future mission. “

HMRC concluded by clarifying that self-employed workers, including self-employed agency workers, are not eligible for SSP.

The SSP has been back on the agenda in recent weeks as the “pingdemia” has had an impact on the economy. More than five million people in England have been asked to self-isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app since its launch in September 2020, leaving employees worried about whether they could be paid if they couldn’t work at residence.

Laura Kearsley, partner and labor attorney at Nelsons, explained what the law says about workers’ wages after being bonkers, especially when it comes to SSP.

“Adults who receive an alert from the NHS COVID-19 app are asked to self-isolate for up to ten days unless they have received their two vaccines, although it may be longer if someone develops symptoms on its own, ”she said. .

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“In recent weeks, the number of people being ‘pinged’ by the app has reportedly resulted in staff shortages and disruption for some businesses. This is especially difficult for industries where people cannot work from home, such as supermarkets and on transport networks.

“This has caused many workers across the country to worry about whether they will still receive their regular wages if they are not fully immunized and therefore forced to self-isolate.

“Earlier in the pandemic, the government said those who do not show symptoms but who have been ordered to take time off work should be entitled to sick pay. However, strictly speaking, there is no right to sickness benefit for anyone who isolates themselves because technically it is just a precaution and they are not considered “sick”.

“Statutory Sickness Benefit (SSP) is available to those who are employed, earn at least £ 118 per week and have been off work for four consecutive days. The current SSP rate is £ 94.25 per week and can be paid up to a maximum of 28 weeks for employees’ usual working days. SSP is usually payable after three “waiting days” of absence, but these do not apply in most cases where an employee self-isolates and will be entitled to sick pay from day one. It is up to your employer – and should be specified in your contract – to decide if you are paid more than the PAS.

‘If SSP is not an option, an employee surveyed could ask to be put on leave and receive 80% of his current salary up to £ 2,500, although the Coronavirus Job Retention Program (CJRS) is due end on September 30. Alternatively, workers can request annual or unpaid leave to self-isolate.

“Those who are required to self-isolate, who have low incomes and cannot work from home may be eligible for financial assistance through the Test and Traceability Support Payment Program, which provides a one-time payment of $ 500. £.

“Self-employed people could try to claim a payment from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, which pays up to 80% of average profits up to a maximum of £ 7,500 for three months. Like the CJRS, this one is due to end on September 30.

“While those interviewed by the app do not receive financial support if they cannot work, we recommend that employers be flexible and use discretion where possible.”

To apply for SSP, workers will have to inform their employers before the deadline. Workers should check with their employer how they should inform them.

If a person cannot work for seven or more days (including non-working days), workers will need an isolation note, their notification from the NHS or public health authorities if told to s ” self-isolate because they have come into contact with someone with coronavirus, a sick note if they are on sick leave for another reason, or a letter confirming the date of their procedure if it was advised to self-isolate before going to hospital for surgery.

If a worker is not satisfied with a decision made on their claim, they should speak to their employer if they believe their decision was wrong.

If this does not resolve the issue, workers can contact HMRC’s Statutory Payments Litigation team for assistance.

CLINTON, Ill. (WAND) – Over the past month, the Clinton Police Department said they were able to help 2 people through their Safe Passage program.

The Safe Passage program has been in the community for 5 years. During these years, the department only helped 2 people suffering from drug addiction. However, over the past month, Chief Ben Lowers said there had been 2 other people asking for help.

“We provide the bridge between the addict and the resources available to give him the help he needs,” he told WAND News.

At a time when overdoses and overdose deaths are on the rise. Chief Lowers said he noticed increased interest in the Safe Passage program after the community recently adopted Neighborhood Watch.

“We will certainly stand by your side and put you in touch with the right people and the right resources to get you where you need to be.”

The Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention reported last year 93,000 people died of overdose in the United States. The agency translated this into an average of more than 250 deaths per day, or about 11 per hour. The Gateway Foundation in Springfield works with people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Merceds Kent, clinical supervisor of the Springfield Outpatient Care Program, said the pandemic had taken its toll on those struggling with drug addiction.

“Addiction is a disease of isolation and the opposite of addition is not recovery, the opposite of addiction is its connection.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to rethink their lifestyles. For the Gateway Foundation, they’ve been forced to move services online, which Kent says is now a blessing as they can connect with more people.

To learn more about the Gateway Foundation, Click here.

The National Trust and the Environment Agency are working to improve flood resistance and create better habitats for nature in the Ullswater Valley.

The £ 680,000 project at Goldrill Beck, near Hartsop, will see a stretch of river shifted from its current course along a main road and re-meandered, creating a series of smaller bends and canals that will slow the flow water and reduce the risk of flooding to key infrastructure.

Work to create the new river channel began in April and with the river ready to be connected to its new course, the Trust must remove fish from the existing river channel to allow contractors to move machinery into the river. river and complete the final stages of the re-meander.

Working with the Environment Agency, community groups and volunteers, nets were used to restrict the movement of fish in and out of an 800m stretch of river above and below the section. where the river works will take place.

The Environment Agency used a process called “electrofishing” which involves passing a small electric current through the water to immobilize the fish. The fish were then moved by bucket to a stretch of the existing river on the other side of the net, as close as possible to their original location. Once the existing river channel is connected to the new course, the nets will be removed and the fish will be able to roam freely along their new river.

The process took place over four days, with National Trust staff, volunteers from partner organizations and volunteers from the local community helping to move the fish, including the resident Atlantic salmon population from the river, to safety. .

National Trust Riverlands Project Manager Rebecca Powell said: “Historic interventions in the Ullswater Valley have disconnected rivers from the surrounding landscape and resulted in highly efficient canals for quickly transporting large volumes of water, gravel and natural materials downstream. This then undermines defenses and causes catastrophic damage to local infrastructure, farmland and local communities.

“We have been working with partners in Ullswater for decades to explore options to increase flood resistance in the valley. The work we are currently doing to reconnect Goldrill Beck with the lands around it and restore a more natural course will allow the river to manage future impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.

“Over the past six weeks our contractors have created new river canals in the valley floor and connecting the river to these new canals requires us to do some work in the water.

“Removing the fish from this section of the river will be a big undertaking, but with the support of community volunteers and our project partners, moving the fish safely upstream will allow us to participate in this vital next step. of the project. ”

The Environment Agency and the National Trust say the project will improve wildlife habitats and slow downstream water flow.

Huge Benefits for Flood Resilience and Wildlife

Oliver Southgate, Environment Agency’s River Restoration Officer for Cumbria, said: “Carrying out river restoration work can offer a wide range of benefits not only for wildlife, but also for wildlife. contribute to the natural management of floods. It makes a real and positive difference in people’s lives and in communities as a whole.

Led by the Riverlands Project, a partnership between the National Trust and the Environment Agency, the project aims to reverse the historic changes of Goldrill Beck which runs along the A592.

These changes have artificially straightened the river channel, meaning it reacts quickly to precipitation and carries large volumes of silt and debris downstream, eroding the river banks along the way. This includes the continued erosion and undermining of the A592 endangering the key access road.

During the six-month project, 1.8 km of the beck will be restored through a combination of re-meander and fill removal.

Beck has strayed from his current course

The beck will be moved away from its current course, adjacent to the A592, instead passing through the lowest point of the valley floor where a series of turns will be reestablished.

This will be coupled with a series of fill removals along the edge of the beck to the Menneting Bridge. This will restore a natural flooding regime across the country, allowing more water to be absorbed into the landscape, restoring traditional floodplain habitats, improving biodiversity and slowing downstream water flow during flooding. .

By working with agricultural tenants, the trust also hopes to restore wetland habitats as part of the project, including lowland marshes and humid forests that are home to a variety of breeding waders, reptiles and other wildlife.

The National Trust hopes that as restrictions on coronaviruses ease, local communities will have the opportunity to become closer to work on the ground, including site visits, volunteer days and school visits.

In addition to installing signage to keep residents and visitors up to date with project work, the trust has set up photo booths at various locations throughout the valley to encourage people to take photos and share them with others. using a dedicated hashtag, thus creating a record of changes across the site over the years to come.

Anyone interested in knowing more or wishing to follow the progress of the project should visitwww.nationaltrust.org.uk/aira-force-and-ullswater/projects/restoring-ullswaters-rivers  

The National Trust and the Environment Agency are working to improve flood resistance and create better habitats for nature in the Ullswater Valley.

The £ 680,000 project at Goldrill Beck, near Hartsop, will see a stretch of river shifted from its current course along a main road and re-meandered, creating a series of smaller bends and canals that will slow the flow water and reduce the risk of flooding to key infrastructure.

Work to create the new river channel began in April and with the river ready to be connected to its new course, the Trust must remove fish from the existing river channel to allow contractors to move machinery into the river. river and complete the final stages of the re-meander.

Working with the Environment Agency, community groups and volunteers, nets were used to restrict the movement of fish in and out of an 800m stretch of river above and below the section. where the river works will take place.

The Environment Agency used a process called “electrofishing” which involves passing a small electric current through the water to immobilize the fish. The fish were then moved by bucket to a stretch of the existing river on the other side of the net, as close as possible to their original location. Once the existing river channel is connected to the new course, the nets will be removed and the fish will be able to roam freely along their new river.

The process took place over four days, with National Trust staff, volunteers from partner organizations and volunteers from the local community helping to move the fish, including the resident Atlantic salmon population from the river, to safety. .

National Trust Riverlands Project Manager Rebecca Powell said: “Historic interventions in the Ullswater Valley have disconnected rivers from the surrounding landscape and resulted in highly efficient canals for rapidly transporting large volumes of water, gravel and natural materials downstream. This then undermines defenses and causes catastrophic damage to local infrastructure, farmland and local communities.

“We have been working with partners in Ullswater for decades to explore options to increase flood resistance in the valley. The work we are currently doing to reconnect Goldrill Beck with the land around it and restore a more natural course will allow the river to manage future impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.

“Over the past six weeks our contractors have created new river canals in the valley floor and connecting the river to these new canals requires us to do some work in the water.

“Removing the fish from this section of the river will be a big undertaking, but with the support of community volunteers and our project partners, moving the fish safely upstream will allow us to participate in this vital next step. of the project. ”

The Environment Agency and the National Trust say the project will improve wildlife habitats and slow downstream water flow.

Huge Benefits for Flood Resilience and Wildlife

Oliver Southgate, Environment Agency’s River Restoration Officer for Cumbria, said: “Carrying out river restoration work can offer a wide range of benefits not only for wildlife, but also for wildlife. contribute to the natural management of floods. It makes a real and positive difference in people’s lives and in communities as a whole.

Led by the Riverlands Project, a partnership between the National Trust and the Environment Agency, the project aims to reverse the historic changes of Goldrill Beck which runs along the A592.

These changes have artificially straightened the river channel, meaning it reacts quickly to precipitation and carries large volumes of silt and debris downstream, eroding the river banks along the way. This includes the continued erosion and undermining of the A592 endangering the key access road.

During the six-month project, 1.8 km of the beck will be restored through a combination of re-meander and backfill removal.

Beck has strayed from his current course

The beck will be moved away from its current course, adjacent to the A592, instead passing through the lowest point of the valley floor where a series of turns will be reestablished.

This will be coupled with a series of fill removals along the edge of the beck to the Menneting Bridge. This will restore a natural flooding regime across the country, allowing more water to be absorbed into the landscape, restoring traditional floodplain habitats, improving biodiversity and slowing downstream water flow during flooding. .

By working with agricultural tenants, the trust also hopes to restore wetland habitats as part of the project, including lowland marshes and humid forests that are home to a variety of breeding waders, reptiles and other wildlife.

The National Trust hopes that as restrictions on coronaviruses ease, local communities will have the opportunity to get closer to work on the ground, including site visits, volunteer days and school visits.

In addition to installing signage to keep residents and visitors up to date with project work, the trust has set up photo booths at various locations throughout the valley to encourage people to take photos and share them with others. using a dedicated hashtag, thus creating a record of changes across the site over the years to come.

Anyone interested in knowing more or wishing to follow the progress of the project should visitwww.nationaltrust.org.uk/aira-force-and-ullswater/projects/restoring-ullswaters-rivers  

“A lot of court cases become this terrible financial pit,” said Neil Emery, labor lawyer at Bindmans. “The cost is usually far higher than any benefit claimants would ever get.

“One of the problems with large employers is that they can afford to behave very badly,” he added. “It’s basically minnow versus whale.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that courts “provide an accessible, efficient and economical remedy,” adding: “Court users often appear without legal representation, so judges and members usually explain the procedure “.

“Amazon should be legally responsible”

The government has responded to calls for better state enforcement by planning to merge all employment regulators, including the EAS, into one body to provide better access to justice for women. vulnerable workers in all sectors. The Conservatives’ manifesto promised that this organization would “crack down on any employer who abuses labor rights”, but the timing of the merger is unclear.

Alternative resources are created to help protect workers. In April, Safer Jobs will launch “Jobs Aware”, an online platform where flexible workers can report problems and receive free advice. “Some people won’t report to the government, so we want this to be a place where everyone feels safe to report,” Rosser said.

Yet, at the end of the day, activists believe companies like Amazon need to take more responsibility for their agency staff. The TUC calls for “joint liability” so that agencies and Amazon both have a legal obligation to protect all of their workers.

“Say, for example, an agency employee works at Amazon and the agency hasn’t paid them the correct amount,” Creagh said. “We believe that Amazon should be legally responsible for providing a remedy for workers.”

Rosser, who is also director of group risk at Reed, said the Bureau’s investigation showed the treatment of those workers to be a pressing concern. He said: “If more of the UK labor market ends up in these kinds of jobs, the need for change is even greater.

“Flexible working could become one of the categories of workers, if not the most important. Therefore, we must now think about how best to serve these people in the future. “