30 March 2023 , 19:00
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Two-thirds of voters support increasing sick pay in line with the real living wage, polling data reveals.
Research for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) shows just six per cent oppose a hike to the current rate of £99.35-per-week.
Next month statutory sick pay will go up to £109.40-per-week.
But the TUC says an increase in line with a real living wage of £10.90 an hour would provide people with over £381.50 for a 35-hour week.
According to the poll of over 2,000 people, 69% said they supported setting "a minimum level of statutory sick pay for all workers, at the same rate as the real living wage".
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Set by the Living Wage Foundation, a "real living wage" is based on the cost of living and is already paid by over 12,000 employers across the country.
General Secretary Paul Nowak told The Mirror: "Our broken sick pay system put lives at risk in the pandemic. But more than a million working people still have no sick pay entitlement.
"And millions more get just £99 a week - nothing like what a family needs to get by. "Nobody should have to soldier on through illness because they can't afford time off.
"And we should never again face a pandemic without full sick pay protection to contain infections. Ministers must get on with fixing sick pay".
The organisation has previously warned the UK's statutory sick pay is one of the least generous schemes in Europe while many do not qualify.
An analysis by the TUC also warns that 1.5million people do not qualify for statutory sick pay as they earn too little to reach the Lower Earning Limit (LEL) of £123-per week.
The organisation has repeatedly pressed ministers to remove the limit to prevent low-paid workers being excluded.