Re: Sick Pay?
Sick pay for contractors does indeed come out of the company coffers, so it's not 100% accurate to say we don't get sick pay, we do.
However, it also isn't quite right to say that is the same as permie sick pay, because if we don't work then the company doesn't get paid for that time, so the sick pay for the contractor comes out of money already paid in, rather than coming from magic money-tree, which is why contractors might say they don't get paid if they are off sick.
So, their company doesn't get paid when they are off sick, but their company does pay their sick pay, which is limited to the amount of cash in the company accounts. Extended periods of sickness will exhaust cash reserves, at which point the contractor won't even be getting that sick pay.
You can be pedantic and split hairs, but the bottom line for a contractor is that if you don't work, you don't get paid. You can also be released from your contract with very little notice if you are off sick and they need the work done - permies can't be sacked for being off sick like that unless it's part of a wider set of circumstances etc.