- Conference
- 2008 Police Staff Service Group Conference
- Date
- 16 June 2008
- Decision
- Carried
Conference Motion 2 in 2007 was overwhelmingly carried. To date Conference notes that there has been no work undertaken by the Service Group Executive (SGE) on this issue other than a mention in the recently circulated draft Attendance Management Document.
Conference notes with great concern the practice of self-certification being withdrawn. It is common practice in many forces managing attendance policies to include this as a sanction. UNISON recently produced a guide (in draft at the time of writing this motion), which is out for consultation, which included the self-certification withdrawal.
Conference believes it is unjust as many of our members who are genuinely sick are being put under more pressure by the demands of Management in insisting they obtain a sick note from their doctor who frequently refuse to provide one.
We believe forces have other ways of dealing with staff who are not genuinely sick and we believe this practice should cease forthwith and all forces should be required to remove the sanction from their policies.
Conference therefore instructs the Service Group Executive to:
1)Seek to ensure that the Police Staff Council (PSC) guidance does not include provision for withdrawal of self-certification;
2)Clarify what the implications are under the Disability Discrimination Act for the withdrawal of self-certification;
3)Obtain advice on the application of the Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) Regulations 1995 on certification.