Our Ref: FOI-2611-2021 Thank you for your request received on 21 March 2021 asking for information about bus operator Covid-19 sick pay. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked: 1) Could you tell me in order the amount of sick pay (tripartite enhanced Covid-19 sick pay) that has be paid to each of the London bus operators - not as a group total. We do not have individual company figures available as TfL paid bus operating groups. We have provided these payments in order of magnitude which generally reflects the workforce sizes of these operators. Please note that market shares are between 0.5% and 24% so there will be a big variation between operating groups. 2) With the tripartite enhanced covid sick pay of up to 14 days - would you agree that a company that imposes 10 days and includes all rest days is not within both the spirt and letter of the agreement - meaning in real terms no one could get more than 8 days’ pay in some cases 6 All operators are following the enhanced sick pay policy which is aligned to national guidance which originally envisaged 14 days but changed to 10 during the course of lockdowns. The principle we and our operators are trying to follow is that nobody should suffer financially and that staff are encouraged to isolate from day one with appropriate sick pay. 3) whilst each company has different qualifying periods to obtain sick pay, different grades of driver or engineer and therefore different rates of pay for sick pay - Is it accepted by all that up to 14 days or two rostered working weeks is the accepted norm as per the agreement. The 14 days that was originally set out for this scheme was to align with the government’s recommend period for isolation. This has now changed to 10 days. The policy is in place to support government guidelines on isolation and ensure individuals can isolate from day one without any financial concerns regarding sick pay. 4) could you tell me which companies are applying the full 14 days and which are not At the outset of the scheme, the 14 days stated reflected current Government guidance. The intention of the scheme was to align with Government sickness rules and this means that bus operators can choose to follow the latest guidance which is for 10 days so that their staff can isolate for a recommended period. All bus operators are making use of the scheme. If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me. If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London [email protected]