TUC calls for changes to statutory sick pay rules for workers affected by coronavirus

Two million workers could face going without any income due to current rules on waiting days and earnings threshold

The TUC has called for changes to the statutory sick pay (SSP) rules for workers who are affected by coronavirus.

Highlighting that the government has confirmed that workers who are required to go into self-isolation or quarantine will be entitled to SSP, the TUC says that under current rules - which provide that SSP is only paid after the first three days of sickness, and that it is only payable to those earning more than £118 a week - two million workers face going without any income at all if they have to take time off.

Launching a petition calling for 'sick pay for every worker from day one', the TUC says -

'It shouldn’t take a pandemic to resolve the inequality of sick pay. But the threat of coronavirus shows why sick pay should be a day one right for everybody.

If the government is serious about addressing this crisis, it should start by scrapping the earnings threshold for SSP.

And it must ensure that all workers – regardless of income or contract – get adequate sick pay from the first day of absence in line with the cost of living.

Workers with existing sick pay schemes should be paid at the full rate offered by the employer while in isolation, and not be considered as on annual or unpaid leave.'

For more information, see Coronavirus (COVID-19) - why every worker should get sick pay from day one from tuc.org.uk