Highland Council calls for sick pay reform after councillors back a motion calling for the UK Government to review the system
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At a meeting of The Highland Council members gave their backing to a motion that highlights the need for the UK Government to review the sick pay system and reform it as a matter of urgency.
Councillor Alasdair Christie, the chairman of the council’s Recovery Board who put forward the motion along with Councillor Alex Graham, said: “It has become more obvious than ever during the current Covid-19 crisis that there are clear and substantial long-standing inadequacies in the sick pay system.
“I believe that there is a very strong case to increase the rate of Statutory Sick Pay from £95.85 per week to a much fairer level to be in line with the Real Living Wage which is currently £9.30 an hour.
“Statutory Sick Pay needs to be made available from the very first day of sickness and we need to see the removal of the eligibility requirement to have average earnings of £120 per week.
“At a time when so many people are living under incredible stress and facing financial hardship like nothing seen before, having a system that is fair and accessible is vital so I am delighted that our motion received support today and the Council will be urging the UK Government to address the issues raised as a matter of urgency.”
Councillor Graham added: “While many employers do provide generous sick pay, about one worker in four gets Government SSP only when they are off and it is shockingly inadequate.
“It is important that people who are on sick leave have proper support to enable them to recover and get back to good health and their work as soon as possible.”
