THE statutory sick pay (SSP) regime discriminates against women and black and ethnic minority (BAME) workers, a union argued in the High Court today. 

In a legal action brought against the government, the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) claimed that the earning threshold for SSP – £120 a week – amounts to indirect discrimination against women, BAME and gig economy workers.

The TUC estimates there are two million workers in Britain who are not eligible to receive SSP, of whom 70 per cent are women.