Statutory Sick Pay
For people with mental health problems, the sick pay system risks plunging us into poverty and pushing us out of work. It also does not reflect the reality of returning to work after a period of sickness as it is not flexible enough to enable a phased return.
Learn about the current reforms set out by the Government, as well as the work we're doing to push for a sick pay system that provides real security for people with mental health problems.
The facts about Statutory Sick Pay
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the legal minimum employers must pay us when we're off sick. It's just £116.75 a week.
At the moment, you can't get it until you've been off sick for 4 days in a row. That means your first three days of sickness are unpaid.
You can only get it if you earn more than an average of £123 a week.
And you can only receive SSP for a whole day of sickness absence.
That means if you want to do a half day to manage your mental health, or as part of a phased return, you can't have your wages topped up by SSP.
We welcome the Labour government's commitments to reforming SSP in the Employment Rights Bill by removing the waiting period and making it so everyone, no matter how much they earn, is eligible for SSP.
However, these reforms do not go far enough.
What we're fighting for
We're campaigning for a fairer and more flexible pay system. We know a fairer system is possible.
During the pandemic, the government changed the law so anyone worried they had coronavirus could access SSP immediately.
We're calling on the government to properly reform sick pay as part of the Employment Rights Bill so we can all take time off when we're unwell without being worried about paying the bills.
We want to see a system that can be paid alongside wages to allow people to taper down their hours during periods of mental ill health, and/or when doing a phased return.
We demand a system where:
- Sick Pay is increased in line with worker's wages
- A flexible Statutory Sick Pay system is introduced to allow for it to be paid pro-rata alongside wages
- It can be paid for up to 52 weeks
We're working with MPs and Peers to try and secure these changes and provide real security for people with mental health problems in work.
2 in 3 people
said that receiving sick pay caused them financial problems. Some were left in debt.
More than 1 in 4 people
said statutory sick pay had affected their ability to pay their bills or buy food.
3 in 5 people
said the reduction in income from SSP had a negative effect on their mental health.
Allanah shares her experience with SSP and explains why she thinks the law must change.
"The financial trouble caused by Statutory Sick Pay wasn't just a drop in pay. It was the difference between being evicted or not, between eating or not."
How you can get involved
Do you have a story similar to Allanah or Jenny? Would you like to share your experiences with us to help our influencing work on the Employment Rights Bill?
Email us at [email protected] to tell us about what you've gone through.
