Low-paid workers unwell for four weeks would be in hardship despite changes in employment bill, charity finds

Ministers are being urged to raise the basic rate of statutory sick pay from £3 an hour – one of the lowest in the developed world – after a report found the government’s changes would leave more than 1.6 million people unable to pay essential bills.

Charities are warning that only a fraction of low-paid workers will be helped to avoid the “huge cliff-edge” of lost earnings despite improvements to statutory sick pay (SSP) in the employment rights bill, which will be scrutinised by MPs this week.