With fewer people taking sick leave than ever before, as a result of the dire sick pay levels that are currently operating in the UK, local MP Stephen Crabb is requesting that the current sick pay policy be reviewed.

His comments were made following a discussion earlier this week with a range of local organisations who met to debate the issues surrounding Statutory Sick Pay.

“Currently, one third of employees are paid only £109.40 a week to take time off when ill if they qualify, and receive no pay for the first three days that they’re off sick,” said Mr Crabb, who is the MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire.

“Almost two million employees receive no sick pay at all because they don’t earn enough, and many of them are part time workers.

“It's important to hear such thought-provoking and personal case examples, which reinforce the need for the current sick pay policy to be looked at again.”

Stephen Crabb's comments were made after he met representatives from Mind Pembrokeshire, the Citizens Advice Pembrokeshire, PAVS (the Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services), Advocacy West Wales, the Port of Milford Haven, the United Reform Churches of Haverfordwest, and the Director of the Centre for Progressive Change earlier this week.

Research has found that the average number of days lost to sickness has been falling steadily and even during the Covid pandemic almost 36 million fewer working days were lost compared with in 1995.

A survey by the trade body for HR professionals has found that almost half of employees go to work despite not feeling well enough to fulfil their duties and the CIPD says that fixing sick pay should be a top priority for workers and employers alike.

Britain’s sickness absence rates are currently less than half the European average, and closer to those in developing nations such as Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Employment experts say the reason for this is the sick pay level, where the UK lies at the bottom of global league tables.

By law, employers must pay statutory sick pay to employees and workers when they meet the eligibility criteria.

An employee or worker is eligible for statutory sick pay if they:

• have been off sick for at least four 'qualifying days' in a row – these are days when they're usually required to work

• earn on average at least £123 a week, before tax

• have told their employer they're sick within any deadline the employer has set or within seven days.

Agency, casual and zero-hours workers are also entitled to statutory sick pay if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Statutory sick pay is currently £109.40 per week and can be paid for up to 28 weeks.

An employer does not have to pay statutory sick pay for the first three qualifying days of sickness absence. These three days are called 'waiting days'.

Statutory sick pay is the minimum amount employers must pay. Some employers might pay more. If they do, this must be written in the contract or workplace policy.

It should also say in the contract or the organisation's policy whether the first three days of sickness absence are paid or unpaid.