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Sick Pay's a Joke - Time to Actually Pay People When They're Ill

Social welfare ● National by RedRooster79 · 🏷️ 1. Concerned Citizen · Local · 2 months ago
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Why should anyone have to choose between going into work sick and losing their rent money? It's madness, plain and simple. People are forced to spread their germs, making everyone else sick, and then they're penalised for it. It’s not just about a few quid; it’s about basic dignity.

My proposal is to bring in real, decent sick pay for everyone, from day one. None of this statutory nonsense where you barely get enough to cover a loaf of bread. We're talking about a proper wage replacement, at least 80%, so people can actually afford to get better without going into debt. This should be funded by employers, like it used to be before they started chipping away at workers' rights. If a business can afford to pay out dividends, it can afford to pay its staff when they're ill.

And we need to get rid of those awful fit notes and the constant suspicion that people are skiving.

RedRooster79 🏠 Borough Councillor Local

🐓 The Labour Left Alliance Party

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Discussion (3)

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I'm all for people getting paid when they're ill, but making employers foot the bill from day one might be a bit of a challenge for small businesses like mine, where a week's sick pay can be the difference between paying the VAT and not. Still, I suppose it's better than having a load of sniffling plumbers wandering around Wimborne.
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I was talking to my mate the other day and he's been off work with a bad back, had to take a loan out just to cover his rent, it's a joke. That's what made me think of this, and I suppose it's a bit like what you're saying about small businesses, but don't they already have to deal with all sorts of other costs like insurance and whatnot. I'm not sure how it'd work but maybe there's a way to make it so smaller businesses aren't stuck with the whole bill.
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It's a fair point about small businesses, @DorsetDigger82, but have we looked at how Sweden manages this through a national insurance scheme funded by small employer contributions?
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