Absence and Ill-health
Most absences from work are normally for a relatively short period and do not affect your membership.
If you are absent due to illness or injury you could be entitled to receive benefits from the Company’s Long Term Sick Pay Scheme. Should your absence not be illness or injury related, or relate to authorised leave, for example, maternity, parental or adoption leave, your membership of the DC Section can continue with the consent of the Company.
Details of your membership and benefits under the DC Section during time off can be obtained from your local HR contact or the DC Section Administrator.
Should you die while absent from work but membership has been assumed to continue, you will continue to be covered for the death in Service benefits in full.
Maternity leave
Whilst you are on maternity leave your membership and death benefits under the DC Section will continue.
The Company will continue to pay Employer Credits equal to 8% of your Pensionable Pay, based on the earnings you would have received had you been working normally.
Your contributions and any Matching Employer Credits throughout your maternity leave may be paid as follows:
Period of Maternity | Your contributions | Matching Employer Credits |
Ordinary Maternity Leave (Full pay / reduced pay) | If you participate in Pensions Plus, the Company will pay an amount equal to what your personal contributions would have been, if you had been working normally and receiving normal pay for doing so. The percentage reduction in your pay will be based on the percentage of your pay which you sacrificed immediately before your maternity leave. If you choose not to participate in Pensions Plus, you may continue to make personal contributions, based on the pay you receive. | The Company will pay Matching Employer Credits calculated as a percentage of the pay you would have received had you been working normally. |
Additional Maternity Leave (No pay) | None. | None. |
When you return to work, you will be allowed time to make up the difference between the contributions you would have paid had you been working normally (and contributing 5% of your Pensionable Pay) and the contributions you actually paid during maternity leave. The time allowed is equal to twice the length of your absence. So, for example, if you are away for 52 weeks the time allowed to make up the difference in contributions is 104 weeks, starting from the date of your return to work.
If you choose to do this, the Company will match your contributions. However, the total Matching Employer Credits made by the Company will not be more than the amount that would have been paid had you been working normally.
If you do not return to work, your date of leaving the Scheme is taken as the date when any maternity pay stops or, if later, when your unpaid statutory maternity leave ends.
Parental or other leave
There may be circumstances where you need to take time off for other reasons, for example parental leave or for an emergency involving your family.
Details of your membership and benefits under the DC Section during time off can be obtained from your local HR contact or the DC Section Administrator.
Ill-health
The Company operates a Long Term Sick Pay Scheme. This is a Company benefit and is not provided through membership of DC Section.
If you become eligible to benefits from the Company’s Long Term Sick Pay Scheme your membership of the DC Section will continue under most circumstances.
For more information regarding eligibility and benefits please refer to the Company’s Long-term ill-health benefits Booklet.
Your guide to Long-term ill-health benefits
Ill-health for Deferred members
If you are taken ill and unable to continue working you may be eligible to have your pension paid early on the grounds of ill-health. You will need to provide satisfactory medical evidence that, in the opinion of the Trustee, you have become too ill to work.
This option may enable you to use the value of your Personal Account to fund ill-health retirement at any age.