MORE than seven million workers would benefit by scrapping the four-day wait in Britain’s “broken” sick-pay system, a joint report by the TUC and the Centre for Progressive Change says.

Changing the law so statutory sick pay can be claimed from the first day of illness would benefit 7.4 million — 26 per cent of employees — they found, rising to more than a third for labourers and cleaners and nearly two-fifths in the care and leisure sector.

With one in eight people of working age having less than £100 in savings and statutory sick pay now worth £23.35 a day for an employee working a typical five-day week, scrapping the four-day wait would make a big difference to families, said the report.