Calls for sick pay reform as eight in 10 fear working through illness

The extent of the UK’s sick pay crisis was revealed on Monday by figures showing that more than eight in ten frontline workers fear having to work through illness.

Campaigners have called for “urgent” reform of the UK’s statutory sick pay laws after a survey found that 83 per cent of key workers felt they could not take a day off when sick due to current legislation.

Statutory sick pay (SSP) is currently £109.40 a week, which is around a third of the minimum wage. It is only paid from the fourth consecutive day of illness, and an employer does not have to pay if your average weekly earnings are less £123 a week.

Many employers do pay more than the statutory minimum but are not legally required to do so.

In 2019, the government proposed changes to SSP including extending eligibility to workers earning below the lower earnings limit. The Government has not since proceeded with the changes, despite a public consultation finding that they were supported by three-quarters (75 per cent) of businesses.

The survey of 2,000 low and variable-income workers among a sample of 500 UK employers was conducted by Wagestream, a financial wellbeing platform used by employers including the NHS, Bupa and Asda. Frontline workers were defined as employees who cannot work from home and includes roles such as healthcare, retail and hospitality.

Existing sick pay legislation means that a quarter (28 per cent) of frontline workers would be forced to go without heating or eating, if signed off for work for two weeks or more, the survey found.

An absence of two weeks or more from work would lead to feelings of anxiety and/or depression for 86 per cent of the UK’s essential workers, with almost all (92 per cent) worried about burning out if they have to work through illness.

Respondents to the survey said they feared that extended time off work due to illness would leave them bankrupt.

One said: “Having time off for a surgery required would jeopardise my ability to pay my mortgage let alone other bills. So I'm putting off the surgery and enduring the pain on a daily basis.”

Another said: “There have been instances where I was unable to afford to take time away from work and as a consequence was hospitalised.”

The figures come as the number of people off work due to long-term illness hit record highs in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 2.6 million Britons were economically active as a result of long-term sickness in the three months up to April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Last month, former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said that reforming SSP was a “win-win policy for Rishi Sunak”, arguing it would “support hard-working people and boost our post-pandemic recovery”.

Emily Trant, Head of Impact and Inclusion at Wagestream said: “The UK’s sick pay crisis requires urgent action on two fronts. Firstly, we need to ensure that no worker is left behind: it’s unacceptable that frontline workers pay more for basic services, and on top of that are given less protection for their income. Secondly, it’s time to modernise policy and ensure employers aren’t left alone to solve the problem.”