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Tell your MP why sick pay needs to change

The Problem

Statutory Sick Pay is only £116 a week, after three days with no pay, and almost 2 million workers get no sick pay at all. This means that, when we get sick, we have to choose between looking after our health or being able to make ends meet.

No one can survive on £116 a week. And the last thing that someone with a cancer diagnosis, a broken leg or an infectious disease should be worrying about is whether they can pay the bills.

We want to see sick pay system where all employees get sick pay, from the first day that they are sick, paid at an increased rate so that people can afford to take the time off.

This Moment

The campaign to reform Statutory Sick Pay has been gathering momentum and we now have over 150 MPs signed up to the campaign!

The campaign has huge momentum with of our policy proposals for: sick pay from day 1, and abolishing the lower earnings limit, being included in the recently released Employment Bill. Whilst this is a major milestone, the current rate of Statutory Sick Pay is not enough to live on, and so we are pushing for the Bill to include a rise in the rate.

To do this, we need as many MPs as possible supporting reforms to sick pay and voting for those reforms as the Bill goes through Parliament.

Take Action

We are working with people across the country to write to and/or meet with their MPs to ask them to support the campaign. If you want to see everyone have access to decent sick pay, then please use your voice to let your MP know why they should back changes to Statutory Sick Pay.

Using the form below, in less than a minute you can send a letter to your MP.

Once you've filled in the action, we will send you a resource pack with more information on how to hold a good meeting with your MP. We will support you through the process and answer any queries you may have.

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Post Code *

We'll notify your representative

Please enter a postal code to continue.

Dear [recipient name will go here],

Your Letter *

Congratulations on your election and I hope this email finds you well.

I am writing as a constituent as I am concerned about the low levels of Statutory Sick Pay.

Statutory Sick Pay is only £116 a week. This rate is so low that people are at risk of falling into poverty when ill, as they cannot pay the bills. Therefore people are often forced to go back into work before they have recovered, prolonging their recovery and even worsening their health. This in turn drives up demand for NHS services, and lowers economic productivity.

Many others, like cleaners and care workers, do not even qualify for any sick pay due to the  earnings threshold for part time workers.  People with disabilities, women, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are disproportionately penalised by virtue of being in jobs with poor sick pay.

It is good to see the government commit in their manifesto to reforming sick pay. However, they are yet to make a full commitment that the increase in the rate to Statutory Sick Pay will be in the Employment Bill. This is key if we want to ensure that people don't fall into poverty when they fall sick.

It would be great to meet to discuss this further. Please let me know when you would be available.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

The more personalised your email is, the more likely you will grab your MP's attention. Please edit the above email to add brief points on why you care about this issue. If you don't want to meet with your MP, then please edit the email accordingly.

If relevant, you could include stories of how the low levels of Statutory Sick Pay have impacted you or people you know. You could include:

The impact on your health.
The impact on your condition and recovery.
The financial impact.

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This campaign is hosted by Centre for Progressive Change. We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed about this campaign and others.

The Safe Sick Pay campaign is reaching a pivotal moment with the upcoming Employment Bill in late September/October, and we are working with people across the country to meet with their MPs to ask them to support including an increase in Statutory Sick Pay in the bill, for all employees, from the first day of illness. If you (or someone you know) has struggled with Statutory Sick Pay, your stories are important and are a powerful way to gain the support of your MP!

In one minute, you can send a letter to your new MP and ask them for a meeting to win their support!