I disagree with the recommendation in "Holiday pay: Does a bus strike justify absence?" (PE, July 1999, p 16) to pay people for not showing up because of a bus strike.
I disagree with the recommendation in “Holiday pay: Does a bus strike justify absence?” ( PE , July 1999, p 16) to pay people for not showing up because of a bus strike. The point that alternative means of transport were available is absolutely compelling.
Consider if any of the employees that missed work had tickets to an NBA finals game, and then the bus strike occurred, don’t you think they would have figured out a way to get there? Should they show less commitment to arriving for work in order to be paid?
Similarly, you can bet that the same people that stayed home during the bus strike would not have found that to be an acceptable excuse for one of their teenagers staying out all night without notifying them.
A contract does not change the fact that all of us in the workplace are adults and should be treated as such. — Name withheld by request
