Jury service: the cost of civic duty

• One in twenty employers1 won’t pay any wages for those on jury service, leaving workers to survive on Government payments of as little as £32.47 a day
• 11 per cent would pay an employee their usual wages but only for the first day of service
• Churchill Family Legal Protection, available as a policy add-on for Churchill’s home insurance customers, covers a salary while on jury service up to the value of £100,000
   

New research1 from Churchill Home Insurance reveals thousands of British workers would be forced to survive on the Governments’ statutory payments, for loss of earnings and expenses, when completing jury service.

One in twenty (five per cent) employers will not pay any wages for an employee attending jury service, leaving those completing their civic duty to survive on £32.472 or less a day.  Over a third (34 per cent) of UK employers would not pay an employee’s salary for more than five days if they were called up for jury service.    
One in ten (11 per cent) UK employees would be paid their usual salary for only one day when completing their civic duty by serving on a jury.  There is no legal obligation for firms to pay employees while on jury service, although those not paid can claim a loss of earnings allowance from the court.  However, the maximum daily amount a juror can claim for the first 10 days when serving for less than four hours is £32.47, with the figure capped at £64.95 per day for those serving longer hours during this period. The research reveals that only 12 per cent of employers would cover an employee’s wages for the duration of their jury service.

With approximately 178,000 people3 in England and Wales called up for jury service each year, people could find themselves struggling to meet their financial commitments if their employer does not maintain their salary and they are forced to survive on statutory payments.  With the Government highlighting jurors could potentially have to serve over half a year (in excess of 201 days)the financial ramifications can be significant.  People can only defer jury service once and will need to prove they have a genuine reason to do so, such as having an operation booked.        

Martin Scott, head of Churchill Home Insurance, stated:  “Completing jury service is a civic duty that many Britons take pride in, but our research reveals it often leaves them out of pocket.  For a juror sitting on a long trial, with an employer not paying their regular wages, surviving on the statutory payments while meeting their regular financial commitments could be very difficult.  

“Churchill Family Legal Protection is available as a policy add-on for Churchill’s home insurance customers. This covers a salary while on jury service up to the value of £100,000. One freelance lawyer claimed over £5,000 from their policy for lost wages when they were called to serve on a jury for eight days.”

As well as Jury service, Family legal Protection covers customers in many other situations where they may need to have a solicitor act for them to take legal action.  Claims that can be covered range from personal injury & clinical negligence, and employment disputes such as unfair dismissal, to contractual disputes and matters that affect the ownership of your home. 

ENDS

Notes to editors
1 Research carried out by Atomik Research amongst a nationally representative sample of 200 HR Directors between 18th & 23rd March 2015
2 https://www.gov.uk/jury-service/what-you-can-claim - First ten days of jury service, under four hours a day spent serving 
3 http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4591 estimated numbers for those serving of juries in England and Wales 

For further information:

Kia McLean
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Tel: 0207 282 1092
Email: Kia.McLean@citigatedr.co.uk 

Claire Foster 
Churchill PR Manager
Tel: 0165 183 1672 
Mob: 07900 217 264 
Email: claire.foster@directlinegroup.co.uk 

Churchill
Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line. 
Churchill general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.  
Churchill and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.   
Customers can find out more about Churchill products or get a quote by calling 0800 200300 or visiting www.churchill.com