UK Workers Gain New Sick Pay Entitlements Under Employment Rights Act 2025

UK Workers Gain New Sick Pay Entitlements Under Employment Rights Act 2025
2 min readEconomyHealthPolitics

In Brief

The changes to sick pay rules are expected to impact millions of lower-income UK workers, with support from unions and some opposition from busines...

Key Facts

  • Up to 9.6 million UK workers are expected to benefit from the new sick pay rules, according to unions.
  • The changes are part of the Employment Rights Act 2025.
  • About 8.4 million workers who rely on statutory sick pay will now be paid from the first day of illness, rather than from day four.
  • The new entitlements take effect from Monday.
  • Unions state that the policy has widespread support from voters, despite some business opposition.

What Happened

New sick pay entitlements under the Employment Rights Act 2025 have come into effect, changing when statutory sick pay begins for UK workers.

Why It Matters

The policy is intended to provide greater financial security for lower-income workers who previously faced a waiting period before receiving sick pay. The change has drawn support from unions and some public backing, but has also faced objections from certain business groups.

What's Next

Observers will monitor the impact of the new rules on worker welfare and business responses. Further debate may continue regarding the balance between employee protections and employer concerns.

Sources