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As part of Usdaw’s New Deal for Workers campaign, it is asking the government to raise SSP from £96.35 per week so that it reflects average wages.
The union also wants SSP to be paid to those earning below £120 per week, who do not qualify for SSP; and to commit to paying SSP from day one of absences, removing waiting days.
Paddy Lillis, the union’s general secretary, said: “Usdaw has long called for significant improvements to SSP and even though the Government acknowledged the need in 2019 nothing has changed.
“With some companies changing contractual sick pay policies, it is even more important that the Government ensures there is a proper safety net for those workers who are required to take time off work to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.”
Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) has been encouraging its members to get vaccinated and has negotiated with employers time off and support for them to do so.
The union argues that the focus needs to be on educating and encouraging vaccination take-up for everyone who is able to.
Lillis said: “Statutory sick pay is simply not enough to survive on and workers earning less than £120 per week aren’t entitled to any statutory sick pay at all.
“People who are ill shouldn’t be worrying about their finances, and they shouldn’t be forced into work due to worries about paying their bills.
“Sick pay needs to be paid from day one, at an individual’s normal rate of pay, and it should be paid to all staff.
The call for improvements to SSP comes after some employers, including supermarket Morrisons, have said that they are cutting sick pay for unvaccinated workers who are forced to isolate.
