Ministers told to raise sick pay as report says 1.6m would be unable to pay bills

The UK’s statutory sick pay provides £118.75 a week or £3 an hour. Photograph: Alamy/PA

Ministers are being urged to raise the basic rate of statutory sick pay from £3 an hour – one of the lowest in the developed world – after a report found the government’s changes would leave more than 1.6 million people unable to pay essential bills.

Charities are warning that only a fraction of low-paid workers will be helped to avoid the “huge cliff-edge” of lost earnings despite improvements to statutory sick pay (SSP) in the employment rights bill, which will be scrutinised by MPs this week.