A Barnet Council-owned trading company has been accused of failing to show compassion after an injured worker was denied sick pay and offered a loan instead.

Trade union branch Barnet Unison said The Barnet Group had shown a “lack of respect” for the employee, who had worked hard through the Covid-19 pandemic but was being “punished for being loyal”.

The Barnet Group, which was established in 2012, provides housing and social care services on behalf of the council. The housing repairs service initially transferred from the council to Barnet Homes, then transferred to three different private firms before moving back to Barnet Homes, which is part of The Barnet Group.

Repair worker Mejdi transferred to The Barnet Group from a private contractor under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations (TUPE), meaning his employment terms and conditions moved with him.

After he was injured while working for The Barnet Group, he was unable to take enough time off to recover because he could not afford to go without pay. But he could not continue working and was sent home with no pay. Instead, The Barnet Group offered him a loan.

Barnet Unison said that if Mejdi had joined The Barnet Group directly instead of transferring in, he would be on a new contract and able to receive sick pay.

Helen Davies, branch chair at Barnet Unison, said: “The Barnet Group is being pedantic to the point of cruelty. This is not a big sum of money, and most chief executives could pay this guy out of [their] back pocket.

“Small change to some means being able to survive without the terror of debt and the inability to repay debt. It’s embarrassing to have to take this to the public arena to get a resolution.”

A spokesperson for The Barnet Group said: “All employees transferring to The Barnet Group under TUPE transfer with the exact terms of their previous employment contracts. The TUPE regulations require this precisely to ensure that workers are protected. This applies to Mejdi’s contract of employment and includes arrangements regarding sickness absence, and means that he receives from The Barnet Group what he voluntarily agreed to with his previous employer.

“That said, The Barnet Group recognises that our people are our greatest asset, and therefore, after taking a voluntary decision to do so, we will be offering all employees who have TUPE transferred into the organisation a new The Barnet Group employment contract. Mejdi has already agreed to this, which will see him receiving significantly improved terms and conditions from the 1st August.

“In the interim period, a discretionary loan was offered to Mejdi in recognition that a period of reduced income may be difficult for him.”