Train driver quarantine question

[jc1]

Would a train driver be exempt from quarantine once returning from Spain?
I have read that transport professionals are exempt. Does a train driver fall into this category?

 

[Tomnick]

Would a train driver be exempt from quarantine once returning from Spain?
I have read that transport professionals are exempt. Does a train driver fall into this category?

The link below suggests not. The exemptions appear quite tightly defined to include only those who are crossing borders in the course of their duties.

Travel to England from another country – COVID-19 rules

Check if there are any COVID-19 rules in place for travel to England from abroad.

www.gov.uk

 

[221129]

Would a train driver be exempt from quarantine once returning from Spain?
I have read that transport professionals are exempt. Does a train driver fall into this category?

No, they would have to quarantine.

 

[jc1]

Thanks for the replies. No holiday for me then.

 

[Shunter_69]

ASLEF in our company have said you would need to use leave or go unpaid for the time you need to take off.
I would like to hope that anyone affected by the change last night wouldn’t have to go unpaid if they flew out under the previous rule.

 

[jc1]

Can't afford two weeks unpaid so will have to cancel

 

[irish_rail]

ASLEF in our company have said you would need to use leave or go unpaid for the time you need to take off.
I would like to hope that anyone affected by the change last night wouldn’t have to go unpaid if they flew out under the previous rule.

If true that's ridiculous. People will simply not comply and go to work , potentially spreading the virus. I'm sure with GWR if you have to self isolate then you just go sick???

 

[Southern Dvr]

I’m no expert on such matters but surely if you’re told to self-isolate then it’s classed as regular sick leave, and you can’t have it used towards MFA? I’m sure that what Whelan was banging out about in the ASLEF magazine recently.

 

[iphone76]

We were told that if we went away knowing we would have to self isolate when we returned then we would have to use annual leave or special leave unpaid. I will ask what happens now if we are allowed to travel and then the rules change whilst away.

 

[43066]

If true that's ridiculous. People will simply not comply and go to work , potentially spreading the virus. I'm sure with GWR if you have to self isolate then you just go sick???

We were told all COVID related absence (whether due to isolating, or to actually having symptoms) would be paid, but wouldn’t count for the purposes of the sickness absence policy.

Exactly as you say the alterntive is that people on a stage, or unable to afford unpaid leave, will simply ignore the requirement.

 

[baz962]

If true that's ridiculous. People will simply not comply and go to work , potentially spreading the virus. I'm sure with GWR if you have to self isolate then you just go sick???

We had the same email from aslef. It says that they will raise with the company , regarding driver's that are already out there. The annual leave or unpaid is for anyone traveling to a country , knowing that they would need to quarantine.

 

[221129]

People will simply not comply and go to work , potentially spreading the virus.

Which is likely to end in disciplinary and potentially legal action.

 

[Tomnick]

I’m no expert on such matters but surely if you’re told to self-isolate then it’s classed as regular sick leave, and you can’t have it used towards MFA? I’m sure that what Whelan was banging out about in the ASLEF magazine recently.

If you’re told to self-isolate because you’ve been in contact with someone or whatever, that’s fair enough and rightly so. It’s much harder to argue for it if someone’s made a conscious decision to go abroad knowing that they’ll have to self-isolate when they get back. We’d be in a real mess if everyone did that - and why should those who aren’t going abroad pick up the slack whilst those who’ve had a week or two in the sun get an extra couple of weeks to chill at home? The tricky questions are how to deal with those who were already abroad when the quarantine was announced last week (sick leave sans MFA seems fair) and those who booked expensive holidays in good faith thinking that they’d be okay to go only to now be facing a difficult decision.

 

[Shunter_69]

Just to clarify, the unpaid leave is if you go abroad knowing you’d have to quarantine when you get back.

Self isolating for being in contact with someone doesn’t affect pay or MFA.

Hopefully common sense prevails for those caught out by the change in circumstances for Spain overnight.

 

[james60059]

The company I work for, which is a food distribution hub, have had rules since March stating that ANYONE who travels abroad without good reason, and subsequently has to self isolate WILL NOT be paid for it, likewise, anyone who they think hasn't took steps to protect themselves from the virus, can, and will be sent home, again without pay. It's a duty of care to fellow employees.

 

[43066]

The company I work for, which is a food distribution hub, have had rules since March stating that ANYONE who travels abroad without good reason, and subsequently has to self isolate WILL NOT be paid for it, likewise, anyone who they think hasn't took steps to protect themselves from the virus, can, and will be sent home, again without pay. It's a duty of care to fellow employees.

Well, I must say that seems like a ridiculous policy, given that we are now moving out of lockdown and being encouraged to do more, including going on holiday etc. If an air bridge is in place, and there are no quarantine requirements, why should going abroad be any riskier than doing a “staycation” in the UK?

The situation with Spain is unique in that people might reasonably have booked holidays as lockdown eased, only to find restrictions increased again.

 

[Crossover]

likewise, anyone who they think hasn't took steps to protect themselves from the virus, can, and will be sent home, again without pay. It's a duty of care to fellow employees

So presumably the company would take a dim view of, you know, living your life? Would they consider visiting restaurants etc to be not taking steps to protect from the virus?

 

[Southern Dvr]

So presumably the company would take a dim view of, you know, living your life? Would they consider visiting restaurants etc to be not taking steps to protect from the virus?

Regarding visiting restaurants this is where the continuing lack of precision from the government is really noticeable.

Whelan and the ASLEF bods need to step in here. It should be a simple situation really, show when you booked the holiday to the employer. If you booked when quarantine was a thing then you should have to accept the unpaid/annual. But if you booked when it wasn’t a thing then why should you be penalised? I don’t see it as that difficult a premise really.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Regarding visiting restaurants this is where the continuing lack of precision from the government is really noticeable.

Whelan and the ASLEF bods need to step in here. It should be a simple situation really, show when you booked the holiday to the employer. If you booked when quarantine was a thing then you should have to accept the unpaid/annual. But if you booked when it wasn’t a thing then why should you be penalised? I don’t see it as that difficult a premise really.

That seems fair to me. Basically, if you knowingly arranged a trip to go somewhere you knew was subject to quarantine, annual leave or unpaid because you chose to do it. But if you did it in good faith, it should be considered sick leave (but not relevant for the processes for managing the extent of that).

I'd think very few people will do it on purpose. I've just spent 2 weeks basically unable to leave the house due to a medical condition affecting my mobility (if I'd really needed to I suppose I could have asked for a wheelchair, but for a shortish period it wasn't worth it and my house isn't accessible anyway). It was grim. I'm going to do my best to avoid being in that position simply by going somewhere on holiday, though obviously it's possible to get caught out as those going to Spain have.

 

[james60059]

So presumably the company would take a dim view of, you know, living your life? Would they consider visiting restaurants etc to be not taking steps to protect from the virus?

This is the argument I was having a couple weeks back with them. To be polite, I basically said that once I was out of the gates, you have no jurisdiction over me or what I do.

 

[Southern Dvr]

This is the argument I was having a couple weeks back with them. To be polite, I basically said that once I was out of the gates, you have no jurisdiction over me or what I do.

not entirely true, you can be dismissed for things like bringing the company into disrepute, breach of social media policies....the obvious one would be use of recreational drugs Or alcohol taking you over the prescribed limit. Might sound pedantic but you do those outside of work and it will not end well at work!

 

[james60059]

not entirely true, you can be dismissed for things like bringing the company into disrepute, breach of social media policies....the obvious one would be use of recreational drugs Or alcohol taking you over the prescribed limit. Might sound pedantic but you do those outside of work and it will not end well at work!

I can understand that, but from a personal point, I don't so social media anyway (or should it be anti-social ) neither do I do drugs. I was more referring to having trips out and using the trains again and just doing my spotting and photting leisure activities as pre-Covid.

 

[Shunter_69]

Our company have today said that if you were in Spain already when the advice changed the self isolation period would be classed as sick leave. If you choose to go now, you’d need to use more annual leave or take unpaid leave when you get back.

Sounds fair.

 

[Southern Dvr]

Expect it won’t be long before the TOCs make explicitly clear that any foreign holiday booked from now on will potentially lead to quarantine and therefore not be exempt. Again the mixed messaging from the government really won’t help.

 

[Southern Dvr]

I would also add that most companies do now have digital media policies in place and you probably signed up for them when you last had pay talks. They tend to bury things like that behind £££. I would advise against saying on any forum or media that you can do what you want away from work if there is any chance it could actually be linked back.

just friendly advice.