Centre for Progressive Change

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.