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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 *

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Dear [recipient name will go here],

Your Letter *

Congratulations on your recent election!

I am writing this email as your constituent, regarding the much needed reforms to Statutory Sick Pay.

Currently the UK's sick pay is only £116 a week (equiv. to £4 per hour). People cannot pay the bills or provide for their families on this amount. Many people are forced to return to work whilst ill, which severely impacts their physical and mental health, can slow down their recovery, and even cause long-term health problems. Working whilst ill also significantly costs our economy, as an ill workforce is less productive, more likely to drop out of work for health complications, and has a higher demand for NHS services.

Around 25% of employees in your constituency are on such a financial cliff-edge due to only receiving Statutory Sick Pay.

In its manifesto, the Labour Party committed to “strengthen statutory sick pay, remove the lower earnings limit to make it available to all workers and remove the waiting period.” It is encouraging to see that sick pay from day one and removal of the lower earnings limit, are going to be part of the Employment Bill.

However, there needs to be a conversation about what "strengthen statutory sick pay" means. Without an increase in the rate to Statutory Sick Pay workers will not be able to get back on their feet and back to work after illness. It is essential that an increase in the rate is explicitly present in the Bill, as this would make great improvements to public health, personal wellbeing and ensuring people are financially secure.

The Safe Sick Pay campaign brings together parliamentary champions and a coalition of businesses, health charities, and civil society organisations who are calling for changes to the UK's Statutory Sick Pay regime. There is a cross party group already backing the campaign: https://www.centreforprogressivechange.org/campaigns/sickpay

I would love to speak to you about why you should support Safe Sick Pay, and to explore what could be done to increase the rate of Statutory Sick Pay.

Please let me know when you would be available for a meeting.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

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!