9.6 Million UK Workers Get Better Sick Pay Starting Monday
Starting Monday, 9.6 million UK workers will get better sick pay under new rules from the Employment Rights Act 2025. About 1.2 million workers, mostly low-paid women, will get statutory sick pay for the first time. Another 8.4 million people will now get sick pay from their first day of illness instead of waiting.
Nearly 10 million UK workers will see improvements to their sick pay starting Monday under sweeping changes to employment law.
The biggest change affects 8.4 million workers who currently get statutory sick pay. They will now receive payment from their first day of illness, eliminating the previous waiting period.
Another 1.2 million workers will gain access to statutory sick pay for the first time. Most of these workers are low-paid women who previously had no safety net when they got sick.
The Trade Union Congress says about 4.7 million women overall will benefit from the enhanced sick pay rules, including more than 830,000 women getting statutory sick pay for the first time.
These changes come from the Employment Rights Act 2025, which aims to strengthen worker protections across the UK. The TUC says the policy has widespread public support, though some businesses have pushed back against the new requirements.
The changes particularly help lower-income households who often couldn't afford to take time off work when ill, forcing them to work while sick or lose pay.
If you get sick and can't work, you'll likely get paid sooner and possibly for the first time. This especially helps lower-income families who couldn't afford to take time off when ill. Women make up a big portion of those getting new protections.
The new sick pay rules take effect Monday. More employment law changes from the Act may roll out throughout 2025.
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