The DWP said more than a million people could be positively impacted by the move
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced changes that could mean workers receive pay where they haven’t previously, as well as meaning people receive their cash sooner. In a new alert issued on Tuesday, the DWP said it is “making changes to the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)”, with the waiting time for SSP being removed, as well as the Lower Earnings Limit.
This, the DWP said, will “enable people to access sick pay from day one of their sickness absence” and will mean SSP is “is available to employees from available to all employees, regardless of their earnings”. A new consultation will seek public views on what percentage rate should be paid for those earning below the flat rate of SSP.
The change will mean some 1.3m employees who are currently excluded from SSP could now be eligible. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Millions of employees across the UK who can’t immediately get sick pay if they are too unwell to work deserve better.
“People should not have to choose between earning a living at work or getting better at home – the changes we want to see will allow employees to do both and businesses to get on. We are now asking for your views on the rate of sick pay for low earners as we fix our broken labour market and the poor pay and working conditions that have been holding our economy back.”