Many examples of unfairness have been brought out into the open during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of which have, for years, been explained or been accepted as ‘that’s just the way it is’ and ‘it’s within the rules’, neither of which make it ok.

One of the recent examples has been sick pay.

After it was highlighted, in this newspaper, how care home staff were afraid to take a coronavirus test because they could be forced to live on SSP for a week, a union campaign was launched to get full sick pay.

READ MORE:Poor sick pay forcing carers to fear testing

It has had some success.

Many of these workers are on or around the minimum wage and are least likely to have savings they can use to cover outgoings when they are off sick.

If they had to go off sick they would receive £94 a week statutory sick pay.

As the virus entered and spread through, care homes at a devastating rate many questions were asked of government about PPE and testing and the moving of elderly people out of hospitals and into care homes.

Glasgow Times:

Where the Government has responsibility then it is right that it is questioned and scrutinised in this way and challenged if found wanting.

There must also be scrutiny of the private care homes, many of which are owned by large organisations and some run by individuals or family owned businesses.

They are making a profit and a lot of it comes from public money. They have a responsibility to their residents and their families and to their staff.

READ MORE:Stick with lockdown for a few more days

They are not government-run nor do not want to be government-run, so they need to take responsibility for what happens in their homes and in their organisations.

Sick pay has to be paid at a level that people are able to live on.

It is not just care homes, and not just during coronavirus, where this is a problem. In industries across the country workers, if they become ill, have to live on a fraction of their pay.

The current legislation on sick pay is not fit for purpose. The highest level of the National Minimum Wage is £8.72 per hour. For a 35-hour week that equals £305.20 a week.

Statutory Sick Pay is less than one-third of even that low amount which people struggle to get by on.

If workers are not expected to live on less than £300 a week how can they be expected to manage on less than £100 when off sick?

Bills are not reduced, rent still has to be paid, gas and electricity costs the same whether you are well or sick.

It is also more likely to be workers in low paid less secure jobs who will have the poorest sick pay arrangements, those who can afford it least. It pushes people into debt, they then have to pay back from low paid jobs.

This must be one of the changes to employment after coronavirus and once the lockdown is over.

Just one week of living on SSP can be enough to force someone into rent arrears or towards payday lenders.

For years people in low paid jobs have been going to work when they shouldn’t because they are afraid of the financial consequences.

They are putting themselves at risk of greater ill health, and their colleagues, or in the cases of care staff those whose health they are looking after.

It is not a decision they should have to take.

Statutory Sick Pay needs overhauled and increased to a level that is decent and allows costs to be met.

AS lock down rules begin to be gradually eased, after more than two months, most people are looking forward to more freedom again.

The new rules, from next Thursday, will allow some things some people will want to do but not those which others are still waiting for.

The others will come in time if we continue with the rules and guidance.

There might be a temptation to think the worst is over and rules can be stretched or bent to justify doing something we know we shouldn’t.

The danger in that is, if everyone does the same thing, no-one is adhering to the rules.

Then, there is real risk of the virus re-surging and lockdown rules are re-imposed.

More people get sick, more people die and more people lose their jobs through lockdown.

It is not worth it. The First Minister said if the virus continues to recede then more measures could be lifted sooner than expected.

It is our actions that will drive it down ever further.

Keep the heid.