Without immediate access, they face tough choices: stay at home and lose a day’s pay or suffer and risk getting sicker just so they can buy essentials and keep the lights on.
This is the reality for far too many people in work – most of them women. It’s bad for them, with potential long-term costs to their health and the loss of dignity that work affords.
Read more: A million of UK's lowest earners miss out on sick pay
And it’s bad for businesses’ productivity and taxpayers, with more people having to foot the bill for a growing benefits bill.
Under our Plan for Change, we know that reforms to statutory sick pay will break down barriers to opportunity, improve living standards and create a healthier, more productive workforce.
Reform is long overdue and it’s time to put this right. That’s why, for the first time, over a million working people across the UK will benefit from access to sick pay, as we improve workers’ rights.
This means some of the lowest paid who fall ill will either receive 80% of their normal weekly earnings or the existing rate of statutory sick pay, whichever is lower, leaving some up to £100 a week better off.
We listened to over 1,700 businesses, trade unions, charities and employees to make a decision that balances financial security for employees along with employer costs.
This builds on our promise to make an extra 1.3 million employees eligible for sick pay by removing the earnings threshold, providing a much-needed safety net.
On top of this, we are getting rid of the three-day waiting period, meaning sick employees can access cash from the first day they are unwell. We are leaving no stone unturned as we deliver on our drive to boost workers’ rights, all the way from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
It’s time for those who keep the wheels of our society turning – our factory workers, our delivery drivers, those who take care of our children – to get the support and stability they deserve.
Liz Kendall is secretary of state for Work and Pensions
