Labour unveils sick-pay guarantee for 1.3m lowest-paid workers

Workers earning under 123 a week to get 80% of salary in sick pay, keeping more people off benefits

More than 1 million of the lowest-paid UK workers are to be guaranteed sick pay worth up to 80% of their weekly salary from the first day of sickness, under changes intended to boost living standards.

The UK has one of the stingiest rates of statutory sick pay in the developed world, according to the Resolution Foundation, with those earning less than 123 a week not entitled to anything. For the rest, the rate is set at just 116.75 a week at present, rising to 118.75 - or 3 an hour - for full-time workers from April, but that only kicks in after three days of sickness.