The head of Britain’s trade unions has slammed the country’s “broken” sick pay system, as new figures show women are more than twice as likely as men to miss out on statutory payments.
Across the UK, 1.3 million people do not meet the £123 a week earning threshold to qualify for statutory sick pay, and 7 in 10 of these are women.
Figures compiled by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which represents Britain’s biggest unions, show that 6.5 per cent of women do not earn enough to qualify for statutory sick pay, compared to just 2.8 per cent of men.
And the figures, seen by The Independent, show that Black and minority ethnic (BME) women are the most likely to miss out on statutory sick pay, with 7 per cent ineligible, compared with just 2.7 per cent of white men.
Women are less likely to qualify for the payments as they are more likely to work in lower-paid jobs.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told The Independent it is a “national scandal” that so many people, most of them women, are “forced to go without financial support when sick”.
Paul Nowak said the low level of statutory sick pay is a ‘national scandal’ that primarily hits women
While campaigner Amanda Walters, director of Safe Sick Pay, said: “Women already suffer disproportionately from low pay.
“To add insult to injury these new figures show that many working women are also losing out when they need time off ill.”
Mr Nowak also said the UK’s statutory sick pay system – under which workers are entitled to £109.40 per week for 28 weeks from their employer if they cannot work – is “broken”.
The TUC’s intervention comes after former Tory health secretary Matt Hancock told the Covid inquiry statutory sick pay was “far, far too low” and “far lower than the European average”.
Mr Hancock added that low sick pay “encourages people to go to work when they should be getting better” and aids the spread of illnesses.
The TUC called the £109.40 figure “paltry” and not enough to live on – noting it is just 18 per cent of the average weekly wage in Britain.
Mr Nowak said: “It’s a national scandal that so many low-paid, insecure workers up and down the country – most of them women – are forced to go without financial support when sick.
“And for those who do get it, it’s not nearly enough to live on.
“Ministers could have boosted sick pay and made sure everyone got it, but they chose to turn a blind eye to the problem during the pandemic.
“The failure to provide proper financial support was an act of self-sabotage that left millions brutally exposed to the virus – especially those in low-paid, insecure work.
Ms Walters added: “The UK’s statutory sick pay system is unequal, unfair and ripe for reform. By paying a higher weekly amount to every worker from day one, we’ll all see the benefits of a happy healthy workforce.”
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner is in charge of delivering the party’s New Deal for Working People (PA)
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner told The Independent the pandemic “exposed just how precarious work is” for those on low incomes, forcing people to choose between their health and finances.
She said: “It is simply unacceptable that the safety net of sick pay should not be available to those who need it most.”
Labour has promised to raise statutory sick pay and make it available all workers, including the self-employed and those on low wages currently cut out by the lower earnings limit for eligibility.
Mr Nowak said: “Enough is enough – it’s time for a new deal for workers, like Labour is proposing – which includes stronger sick pay and a ban on zero hours contracts.”
A spokesman for the government said: “Statutory Sick Pay is part of a wider financial safety net, including Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance for those who need extra financial help.
“Employers can also decide to pay occupational sick to those who do not meet the criteria for Statutory Sick Pay.”
