Millions of workers could face new statutory sick pay rules under Labour

In a message to the Labour Party government, campaigners have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, to go further than current plans to prevent people off work slipping into poverty.

Ministers are being urged to increase the basic rate of UK statutory sick pay. In a message to the Labour Party government, campaigners have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, to go further than current plans to prevent people off work slipping into poverty.

Ministers are under pressure to increase the basic rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) from £3 an hour for a full-time worker. The government will launch a consultation on Monday to coincide with the second reading of its employment rights bill.

Under the Bill, workers will get paid sick leave from day one, with those on earnings below the threshold of £123 a week eligible. Campaigners have welcomed the changes, but they want ministers to go further and raise sick pay, which is fixed at £116 a week and pegged to the inflation rate.

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“Hundreds of thousands of working people who are each year diagnosed with infectious diseases, cancer, mental health problems or serious injuries will still find themselves without adequate financial support to pay essential bills like food, rent and heating,” campaigners wrote.

“There is a wide-ranging body of evidence, medical, academic and from leading UK thinktanks and charities, that suggests the current SSP system harms workers and is self-defeating for employers and the government alike." They said: “This situation risks holding back the government’s laudable mission to grow the economy and bolster our NHS.”

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Amanda Walters from the Centre for Progressive Change, which is leading the campaign, said: “Most of us try to battle on when we’re sick, but sometimes we know that going to work will only make things worse, we’ll end up sicker and less productive.

“It would be a massive missed opportunity not to address the rate of statutory sick pay now. The government should ensure no worker risks their health for want of a decent sick pay system.”