1. Scope

1.1 From time to time School employees may be called for jury service.

1.2 The SOAS Jury Service Procedure applies to all School employees, including part-time, fractional, fixed-term and casual staff.

1.3 School employees on paid leave (e.g. sick leave, maternity leave, adoption leave, research leave, annual leave etc) are still required to comply with this procedure if the jury service falls within the period of leave.

1.4 School employees attending jury service are able to claim back loss of earnings and other allowances from Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS).  By following this procedure the School is able to reclaim some of the costs of the employee’s absence (details are set out at section 3 below). Therefore school employees are required to claim for loss of earnings.

1.5 The School cannot refuse a request from HMCS for one of its employees to attend jury service.

2. Procedure

2.1 Where a member of staff has been called up for jury service, they must notify their Academic Head of Department/Manager/Director of Professional Services as soon as possible to request time off work.  They should provide their manager with a copy of the court summons.

2.2 Staff who are required to serve as jury members should receive an allowances sheet including a loss of earnings form with their summons to jury service (see section 3).  If they have not received this form, they should request the form from the relevant court authorities.

2.3 Members of staff must send the loss of earnings form to the HR Payroll & Pensions Team as soon as possible and in advance of the period of jury service.

2.4 The HR Payroll & Pensions Team will sign and complete the loss of earnings form and return it to the member of staff.

2.5 The member of staff should hand the completed loss of earnings form to the court where their jury service is required.

2.6 The court will then pay the employee for their attendance at jury service and provide written confirmation of how much payment has been made.

2.7 The employee must send this written confirmation to the HR Payroll & Pensions Team as soon as possible.  If the form is received after the monthly payroll deadline (normally 16th of each month, except at Christmas or at Easter), the member of staff may not receive their normal salary for that month and adjustments will have to be made the following month.

2.8 On receipt of the confirmation of payment from the court, the HR Payroll & Pensions Team will make any necessary alterations to the employee’s payment, to ensure that the member of staff receives their normal pay during the period of jury service.

2.9 If on any day of scheduled jury service, the employee is not required at court, they are required to return to work for that day (or days thereafter)

3. Allowances for jurors (advice taken from HMCS website)

Jurors can claim three types of allowances from the court when they are completing jury service:

  • Travel
  • Subsistence
  • Financial loss

The rates payable to jurors are contained in an allowances sheet sent to jurors if they are summoned for jury service.

The financial loss may cover:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Fees paid to carers or child minders
  • Or other payments which have had to be made as a direct result of jury service.

Receipts of proof of payment should be provided for these claims. If jurors are unsure about what is acceptable, they should ask the court where they will be doing their jury service.

Provided that the daily maximum is not exceeded, jurors may claim for more than one type of financial loss. For example, if a juror was claiming for loss of earnings and childcare, the total of both must not exceed the maximum. Where claims exceed this, only the maximum can be paid.

Payments can only be paid to jurors and will not be made to third parties such as the School, family or friends.

4 . Equality and diversity

4.1 The procedures outlined here should be carried out with due regard to any diversity issues which may have affected either the original situation or the current process.  The School’s Diversity Adviser and diversity specialists within the HR Directorate are available to support colleagues in this area.

4.2 Where a diversity issue (e.g. a disability including chronic physical or mental health conditions) has been disclosed to the School, whether prior to the situation which triggered this process or during the process, the line manager co-ordinating the process is responsible for checking with the employee to determine their needs and for making the appropriate arrangements.

4.3 Employees who have not previously disclosed a diversity issue which may be relevant to this process are encouraged to do so, as early as possible, so that it can be taken into account.

5. Approval

This procedure was agreed with the School recognised trade unions, UCU and UNISON, on 8 April 2011.

HR Directorate
SOAS
May 2011