Trade Unions urge government to increase statutory sick pay rate in Employment Rights Bill

Article summary

A coalition of 24 trade union general secretaries, including leaders from the British Medical Association and Royal College of Nursing, have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressing concern over the government's statutory sick pay (SSP) reform plans. While welcoming proposals in the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) to extend SSP to low-income workers and remove the waiting period, the unions are calling for a significant increase to the weekly SSP rate. SSP is set to rise to £118,75 per week from April 2025 (currently £116.75), but the unions argue this remains insufficient for workers to recover safely from illness. The letter requests a ministerial meeting to discuss strengthening SSP to align with rates in other OECD countries, emphasising the need for a comprehensive plan to address the issue within the forthcoming ERB.