Sick pay that works

Analysis by the TUC shows that:

• two million employees are not eligible for sick pay
• and levels of sick pay have fallen over the past decade.

What level of sick pay a worker receives depends on their contract. Sick pay is highly valued and, as workers at retailer Wilko are currently showing, they will even consider taking industrial action to protect their rights. But many rely on the minimum statutory sick pay (SSP). At £95.85 a week, it is one of the lowest rates of sick pay in Europe. No payments are made for the first three days.

The research shows that those who are better off are much more likely to receive contractual sick pay. It found that almost a quarter (of workers receive only basic SSP if they are off work sick. This equates to around 6.4 million employees. Some 57 per cent receive their usual pay in full, with 9 per cent telling us they receive nothing. A small percentage of workers receive more than SSP, but less than full pay.

Read more here.