Centre for Progressive Change
Safe Sick Pay Campaign
Programme
Income
Timeframe
November 2023 – November 2024
Grant
£82,820
Project Summary
The Safe Sick Pay Campaign is a strategic national campaign using advocacy, national press and community organising to improve Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
Context
The Safe Sick Pay Campaign is based on a year-long participatory research project, in which CPC found that 16% to 30% of workers in the UK lack access to employer sick pay. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) only covers 20% of average earnings, and two million workers are not eligible for it as they earn below the Lower Earnings Limit.
Project Overview
The campaign aims to change legislation to:
- Ensure sick pay is paid from day one of a sickness absence, instead of day four (and then paid for up to 28 weeks).
- Abolish the Lower Earnings Limit for SSP, extending coverage to almost two million workers.
- Increase sick pay so that it is in line with an employee’s wages, up to the real living wage.
To achieve this, CPC will undertake:
- advocacy to approach MPs, PPCs, businesses and influencers to support the campaign and encourage action across parties
- communications to gain press attention on the issue and need for reform, and
- community organising to engage MPs and PPCs through their constituents to support the reforms.