Sick leave culture is to blame for unemployment crisis, says founder of Pimlico Plumbers

Britain's richest plumber says the country has become «too busy to write sick notes» Photo: Victoria Jones/PA

In Sick leave culture is to blame for Britain's unemployment crisis, says the millionaire founder of Pimlico Plumbers.

In a letter to the Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride, Britain's richest plumber, Charlie Mullins, said the country is «too prone to writing sick notes» , which contributed to a sharp increase in the level of economic inactivity.

He called for the creation of a government-funded apprenticeship service to tackle the problem because, he said, «if more young people could access the profession, GPs would spend less time taking notes.»

Mr Mullins said that: «I would go further and make [the government-funded apprenticeship scheme] available as a second chance for graduates who feel cheated by an English literature or sociology degree for which they went into debt.»< /p>

His letter to Mr Stride, sent on Friday, comes after the Secretary of State told The Telegraph last month that he was concerned that the «normal worries of life» were being called an illness.

Mr Stride said on The Telegraph website. time: “There is a real risk now when we label the normal ups and downs of human life as medical conditions, which then actually act as a deterrent for people and ultimately lead to higher benefit bills.”

This has led to accusations that young people are driving force behind Britain's economic inactivity crisis.

Overall, 9.25 million people of working age are now considered economically inactive, up from 8.55 million in February 2020, according to the Office for National Economic Affairs. Statistics.

This includes 3.5 million economically inactive people aged 50 to 64, up from 3.3 million before the pandemic.

UK watchdog Office for Budget Responsibility tax and spending report described the situation as «worrying.»

Recognizing the problem, the government has taken steps to encourage people to return to work.

Mr Stride last month unveiled plans to bring back to work 150,000 people furloughed under «soft» terms. Senior Tories have long raised concerns about doctors, nurses and pharmacists signing people up for work. sick leave via video or phone call.

Mr Stride said last year that GPs were signing people off as «unfit for any work» nine times out of ten, although this was mostly due to -due to lack of time.

Mullins not only helps solve the problem of unemployment, but also founded Pimlico Plumbers at age 20 after leaving school at age 15. after earlier this year he said selling his business to KKR-backed Neighborly for £145 million in 2021 was a mistake.

He now plans to launch a new company with the owners of Pimlico a non-compete clause was agreed upon. ends in September this year.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “The link between work and good mental health is clear, which is why our £2.5 billion Return to Work plan is expanding support to help more than a million people are finding work and building better lives, and reforms to help small businesses through the apprenticeship levy are expected to further increase employment numbers by 20,000.»

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