So I am the. Chosen one, lucky me…
Anyhow have been selected to do jury service on my rest days. Now i know your employer has to grant time off but what about when your required to do it on your rest days as I work wed through Sunday and they want me on monday. And why do they think its acceptable to pay £64 for the day cos that won’t pay my bills that day 
It is other work technically, the same as working in an office for 4 days a week then driving a HGV - you need to account for all work as per the drivers hours regs.
Better hope it goes over the 2 weeks and it’s full days, then you will at least not lose anything by doing it, by anything I mean too much. Take a packed lunch every day, as the balance of your food allowance is paid in full at the end. Hope your case isn’t too grim. Mine was ■■■■■■■ horrible.
Oh and you won’t do anything better paid per hour if you are a truck driver for a living. Most days I started at 10 and was done by 1630.
F-reds:
Better hope it goes over the 2 weeks and it’s full days, then you will at least not lose anything by doing it, by anything I mean too much. Take a packed lunch every day, as the balance of your food allowance is paid in full at the end. Hope your case isn’t too grim. Mine was [zb] horrible.Oh and you won’t do anything better paid per hour if you are a truck driver for a living. Most days I started at 10 and was done by 1630.
I won big style when I got mine.
It was about 3 weeks before Xmas, had been told I couldn’t have time off as we were too busy then got Jury service. Lancaster courts shut for the 2nd week, but as my firm had put I couldn’t go back early I was getting the 2nd week gratis anyway. Go in Monday, 1 court case to last all week. Wasn’t chosen so didn’t have to go in, but had to stay on call in case. Wasn’t called for the full fortnight
2 Weeks off, full pay, just before Christmas. Wasn’t complaining 
Easy way to get out of jury service is to have a criminal record … strange I’ve never been requested though !! 
raymundo:
Easy way to get out of jury service is to have a criminal record … strange I’ve never been requested though !!
Or don’t have your name on the electoral register.
If you get a meaty case such as a Murder trial, or Fraud that’s likely to go on for weeks and weeks - the employer gets asked “if you can be released beyond 2 weeks”.
Here’s the dig: Nearly all employers say NO of course.
Now… If you are self-employed, but pseudo-employed by someone else (eg an agency) then your agency will pass the request on to you “if you can be available beyond 2 weeks”.
If you say YES to yourself, then you get paid the full expenses whilst doing the jury service, whilst you take holiday or unpaid leave from your normal job.
This, in turn, gets rid of all those excess hours driving you’ve been backing up, allows you to draw holiday pay and jury expenses pay for the interim, and gives you a perhaps welcome change of scenery for the weeks involved.
You get what you can read into the whole thing. Go in with a bad attitude, and you’ll make the “bad time of it” actually happen!. .
The self-employed were always the biggest moaners, because they only ever saw it as a straight loss to their trading book - but only those without imagination will let it go on that way!
Personally, I blame it all on “any old thicko” being allowed to be self-employed, when I would argue some level of above average intellect is required. 
I only got the 2 weeks worth, but got paid over £500 (90’s money too!) and two weeks holiday pay - all at no cost to me actually taking my normal holiday… 
The employer is obliged by law to release you for those minimum two weeks…
Put your accountancy head on, and Milk it for all you can get!
it’s prob some driver up in front of some magistrate who got blocked in at Watford Gap services the other day 
A S/E mate of mine in a different industry got out of jury service stating that the business would suffer as he was in charge of 12 employees
nick2008:
it’s prob some driver up in front of some magistrate who got blocked in at Watford Gap services the other day
We find the defendant Guilty of not squashing the cheeky ■■■■ 's car against a concrete block.
Got called for it years ago, firm I was working for agreed to release me but said they wouldn’t pay me for the two weeks, so did the claim form from the Courts - Courts reimbursed me for the two weeks wages. Got my payslip at the end of the month… full pay, no deductions…!!
Double pay for two weeks for sitting around drinking tea!!!
I did it years ago - took two weeks holiday and claimed as well thanks to a cooperative boss. Travel, meals, “lost” earnings and 10 till 4 with an hour for lunch.
Herongate:
Got called for it years ago, firm I was working for agreed to release me but said they wouldn’t pay me for the two weeks, so did the claim form from the Courts - Courts reimbursed me for the two weeks wages. Got my payslip at the end of the month… full pay, no deductions…!!Double pay for two weeks for sitting around drinking tea!!!
That’s just it… You’re led to believe “your gonna lose” for whatever reason, and you end up quids-in which comes as unexpected!
Even if fully self-employed, leaving your business with no one at the helm for the duration - you can offset the costs of taking two weeks off unpaid, and all the underlying costs that go with it - against your taxes. IF you’re making a profit that is!
Struggling one man bands are still going to “break the law” by trying to dodge out of Jury service though - because they lack the imagination and means to make it work for them.
Personally, I think that the period of “struggling” for a business should be cut short. Too much encouragement to adopt crooked behaviour whilst floundering otherwise.
I was called for jury service years ago but wrote a nice letter to say that I was unable to do so never heard anything since
Ok I was not working at the time was week before my 1st child was born also my ( now x ) husband job so was not allowed in any case
you’ll have to have time off previous to
jury service
Why not have a list of those willing/wanting to do it? I’ve never done and have no interest, whereas I know people who’ve never done it and would love to.
weeto:
raymundo:
Easy way to get out of jury service is to have a criminal record … strange I’ve never been requested though !!Or don’t have your name on the electoral register.
This^ just one of many advantages to not being on it.
Not being on the electoral register is a serious downmark on one’s credit score.
Fine, if you’re living within your means, and don’t intend to get a mortgage or a car loan one day.
I guess it’s mainly going to be the old ■■■■■ that go for the “Keep me off the register” move… 
We’re not on the elected one (the junk mail one) but I thought you had no choice to be on the other?