Employers reject abolition of SSP waiting days

The government has decided to shelve proposals to abolish "waiting days" and make statutory sick pay (SSP) payable from the first day of absence, following strong opposition from business.

The government's response¹ to the consultation on the welfare reform green paper states that the comments received make it obvious that the simplicity it believes would be gained from abolishing waiting days is not sufficient to merit the loss of flexibility they offer: "We have therefore concluded that it is not sensible to proceed with the changes to SSP at this time." However, the consultation report adds that the government will still talk to stakeholders about alternative simplifications.