No More Waiting! UK Workers to Get Sick Pay from Day One

80 percent sick pay. You wake up one day and feel a touch under the weather. If you’re in Great Britain earning around £123 or sometimes even less a week, you’ve received no sick payment. If you earn more than that, your sick payment comes only after the third day of being unwell, and even then, it doesn’t amount to much more — it used to be around £116 a week.

But things are changing just a little! The government is working to ensure sick pay kicks in from day one for everyone. This means that sick pay will rise to 80 percent of your normal rate of pay if you are on a low income. This scaled-up amount could equate to anything from £507 or £528 a month to an extra £100 a week and sometimes more!

• Everybody gets paid: No matter how little you earn, you’ll get sick pay.
• Day one: Sick pay starts on the first day of absence.
• More money for low earners: You’ll receive 80 percent of whatever you earn, so you can get better without worrying as much about money.

According to the government, this is a big leap toward encouraging people to choose their health over their earnings. It is businesses that would foot the bill, of course — and some began to look quite worried. Many others think it is a fair way to support workers.