FSB and TUC call on Chancellor to change sick pay rules

Frances O’Grady and Martin McTague have sent a joint letter to the Chancellor demanding action on sick pay and support for employers as annual cost to small firms nears £5bn

In a rare joint intervention, the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have joined forces to call on the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to support statutory sick pay (SSP) for all employees and to support employers with the associated costs by making the employer rebate permanent.

The sick pay employer rebate is targeted at businesses with less than 250 employees and is a temporary waiver brought in to deal with pandemic related sickness absences. It is due to expire at the end of March.

The scheme reimburses those employers for the cost of statutory sick pay for Covid-related absences, for up to two weeks per employee.

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