Labour demands all workers get access to sick pay as coronavirus crisis deepens
3 min read
Labour has called on the Government to ensure that all workers forced to stay at home by the coronavirus are entitled to full sick pay.
Around two million employees on zero hours contracts in the gig economy do not qualify for stautory sick pay if they are off work.
In the House of Commons, Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said any emergency laws introduced by the Government to tackle the deadly bug must ensure they are not left out of pocket.
He said: "No one should be faced to make a choice between their health or hardship.
"[Health Secretary Matt Hancock] is considering emergency legislation – will he bring forward legislation to remove these barriers to self-isolation so all workers get the sick pay they deserve?
"This is in the interests of public health. Bring forward that legislation and we will help him get it on the statute books."
Under current rules, an employee can self-certify their illness to their employer for seven days, after which they must obtain a GP's note.
There is no entitlement for sick pay for the first three days of illness, and after that the statutory requirement is just £94 a week - far below the average wage.
Self-employed people are also not eligible for sick pay under the current system.
Mr Hancock said the rules were being kept "under review".
He said: "Those who do need to self-isolate for medical reasons to protect others, that counts as being off sick.
“They do not need to go to a GP because there is a seven-day allowance for self-declaration.
“So, I hope that addresses that point directly, and we keep all matters on this under review. Because broadly I agree with him on the principle that he has set out.”
He also confirmed that the number of coronavirus cases in the UK had increased from 40 to 51.
‘WOEFULLY INADEQUATE’
The GMB union has warned that the current sick pay system gives little incentive for people to stay at home if they are infected.
Rehana Azam, the union's national secretary, said: "Statutory sick pay is woefully inadequate at the best of times – but the outbreak of COVID-19 has highlighted the risks posed to workers and the public at large.
“Ministers already have the emergency powers to stem this crisis by forcing employers to pay full sick pay from day one – and to offer financial assistance to smaller companies where required.
“Instead, they are telling people they won’t get paid for the first three days of self-isolation - and only £94 a week after.
“That gives people a perverse incentive to come into work even if they may be infected.”
On Tuesday, the Government published its coronavirus “battle plan”, which set out measures it would take in a worst-case scenario outbreak.
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