A letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer from 24 trade union General Secretaries including leaders of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and the Communications Workers Union has voiced concern at the gaps in the Government’s plan to reform statutory sick pay (SSP).

The Trade Union General Secretaries are concerned that the Government has yet to offer any plan to increase the rate sick pay is paid at, despite it being set at one of the lowest levels in the industrialised world - too low for many workers to recover from illness safely.

The group also welcomed existing Government plans in the employment bill to ensure statutory sick pay is paid from day one and extended to the lowest paid workers.

The weekly SSP rate is set to rise just £2 a week to £118.75 from April 2025, leaving a full time worker on just £3 an hour if they take time off from work to recover from illness. 

A growing number of organisations including health experts, cancer charities, think tanks, and employer groups are seeking ‘Safe Sick Pay’ reforms in the employment bill to include an increase to the weekly sick pay amount, in line sick pay systems in other developed nations. Experts and charity leaders raised concerns with the Prime Minister in October on the harm sick pay was causing working people, including people with a cancer diagnosis, causing some to fall out of work onto sickness benefit when they could have been supported back into employment after recovery.

A recent Citizens Advice report found SSP was the single largest employment issue the charity sees, with thousands of working people falling into debt and needing to be referred for charitable support or foodbanks.

Professor Phil Banfield, BMA chair of council, said: “Moving onto Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) often means a huge drop in income for many people, forcing them to go back to work before they are fit to do so – like the many doctors living with Long Covid. All of this contributes to further physical or mental ill health, more sick leave, which leaves the health service without even more of the staff it desperately needs.

“Increasing SSP can help make sure that those who need to step away from work due to ill health or injury have the time they need to fully recover without worrying about whether they can afford to buy food or turn the heating on, which in itself leads to worsening sickness levels.”

Sarah Woolley, General Secretary, Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, a signatory to the letter said: “The government can't expect people to live on the current level of statutory sick pay (£117 per week). Workers in the food industry can find themselves making impossible choices between going into work whilst sick, because they can't afford the time off to pay the bills, or falling behind with the rent.

“The employment bill is the perfect opportunity to fix the broken statutory sick pay system. Increasing the rate it is paid at would make sure workers can recover their health, pay the bills and return to work safely.”

Amanda Walters, Director of the Safe Sick Pay campaign, an alliance of over 150 charities, trade unions and employers seeking a better sick pay system said: “The Government’s plan to make sure employers pay sick pay from day one and extend it to low income workers is welcome, but we need a timeline for how they intend to increase the rate sick pay is paid at. Otherwise, sick pay remains too low to be safe for workers.”

William Roberts, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health, commenting on the letter said: “We should absolutely be looking at how we use our workplaces to build health, keep people well, and prevent people from being signed off sick. However, people will inevitably get ill and need to take time off work. When they do, it’s vital that they are not forced to choose between making ends meet and the health of them and those around them. When people are off with contagious illnesses this can also help prevent the spread to other workers.”

Letter to Keir Starmer:
[Sent Fri 29 November 2024 c/o the Centre for Progressive Change]

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing as a group of trade unions concerned about the Government’s inaction on the low rate of Statutory Sick Pay.

As you’ll know, Statutory Sick Pay is only £116.75 a week, it is not paid for the first three days that someone is off sick and 1.3 million employees on low-pay are not eligible for it. This forces working people in the UK to come into work when they are sick or, if they take the time off, it means they can’t make ends meet.

We’ve heard of workers delaying their cancer treatment because on £116 a week they don’t know how they’ll be able to put food on the table. We’ve heard of workers struggling into work with a broken leg as they couldn't afford the bills. And we’ve heard of workers taking time off and getting into debt, having to leave the workforce or falling into destitution.

The Labour Party committed in its manifesto to “strengthen statutory sick pay, remove the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers and remove the waiting period.” We are delighted to see the Employment Rights Bill include proposals for the latter two commitments, which will ensure that all employees receive sick pay and from the first day that they are off sick.

But where is the Government’s plan to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay? Even with the changes to Statutory Sick Pay proposed in the Bill, a full-time employee will only receive £3 an hour when they are off sick - one of the lowest replacement rates in the OECD. We believe an increase in the rate of Statutory Sick Pay is needed so that workers can meet the cost of living in their time of need.

We would like to meet with Ministers to discuss this further and we look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Philip Banfield, Council Chair, British Medical Association
Professor Nicola Ranger, General Secretary & Chief Executive, Royal College of Nursing
Dave Ward, General Secretary, CWU
Maryam Eslamdoust, General Secretary, TSSA
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary, NASUWT
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, National Education Union
Paul Fleming, General Secretary, Equity
Dr Jo Grady, General Secretary, UCU
Mick Lynch, General Secretary, RMT
Sarah Woolley, General Secretary, BFAWU
Michelle Stanistreet, General Secretary, NUJ
Brian Linn, General Secretary, AEGIS
Fran Heathcote, General Secretary, PCS
Emma Clay, General Secretary, Nationwide Group Staff Union
Zita Holbourne, Co-Chair, Artists Union England
Oshor Williams, Assistant Director of Education, Professional Footballers Association
Ian Lawrence, General Secretary, NAPO
Steve Gillan, General Secretary, POA
Bob Monks, General Secretary, URTU
John McGowan, General Secretary, Social Workers Union
Julia Georgio, General Secretary, NHBC Staff Association
Gawain Little, General Secretary, General Federation of Trade Unions
Lord John Hendy, Chair, IER
Michael Schwaabe, London President, AFA-CWA

ENDS

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