The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the TUC have jointly called on the government to make the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme permanent.
With the aim of making sick pay more widely available and supporting small employers (with fewer than 250 employees) with the costs of this they have asked that the rebate scheme be made permanent.
They have also asked that it be extended to cover all sickness not solely Covid related.
The present rebate scheme was re-introduced for small employers to assist with the costs of Covid related absences in January 2022 for a limited duration until 24 March 2022.