Have your say on government e-petitions

Require the Government to fund all Statutory Sick Pay for small businesses

Submitted by Claire Harkin on Saturday 7th March 2026

Published on Tuesday 14th April 2026

Current status: Open

Open until: Wednesday 14th October 2026

Current Signatures: 69
(count is updated approximately hourly)

Relevant Departments

Tagged with

Busy ~ Companies ~ Cost ~ Employers ~ fund ~ Jobs ~ place ~ Pressure ~ Small businesses ~ Stability ~ Staff

Petition Action

Require the Government to fund all Statutory Sick Pay for small businesses

Petition Details

Many small businesses cannot absorb the extra cost of additional days of statutory sick pay. Long-term sickness or multiple absences could threaten business survival and jobs. The Government should fund the cost of all sick pay rather than requiring small businesses to pay.

Additional Information

Small businesses often operate on tight margins and cannot easily absorb additional employment costs. Requiring employers to pay all statutory sick pay from Day 1 could place significant financial pressure on small companies, especially if employees take long-term sickness or if several staff are absent at once. This could threaten business stability and jobs. The Government should fund all sick pay rather than small businesses having to provide this.


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