Workers Need Paid Sick Days

The VDLC supports the call for a minimum of ten (10) permanent, paid sick days for all workers and additional days during public health emergencies. 

A motion adopted at the February regular meeting of the Labour Council outlines the need for paid sick days for all workers, and looks at how this can be best implemented. 

You can help by supporting paid sick leave campaigns (see below), and by supporting the motion “Closing the Inequality Gap With Paid Sick Leave” submitted to Vancouver City Council by Jean Swanson. The motion comes to City Council next week, and you can sign up to speak or submit written comments. 

Resources:

BC Federation of Labour  paid sick days campaign

Worker Solidarity Network/BC Employment Standards Coalition paid sick days campaign

Decent Work and Health Network – report

VDLC motion: Subject:  Paid Sick Days

BECAUSE eleven months into a global pandemic that has killed thousands, no government in Canada has legislated adequate, employer-paid sick days; and              

BECAUSE the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is temporary, inaccessible and not of use for the crucial first few days of an illness; and

BECAUSE had paid sick day legislation been in place before the global pandemic, lives would have been saved because infection rates would have been reduced; and                  

BECAUSE the lack of legislated paid sick days has especially hurt Black, Indigenous, workers of colour and women workers who are over-represented in frontline jobs, with low pay, few benefits, and without the ability to work from home,

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL support the call for a minimum of ten (10) permanent, paid sick days for all workers and additional days during public health outbreaks; and

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER endorse the following principles. Paid sick leave should be:

• Universal: Available to all workers regardless of workplace size, work status or FTE, type of work, or immigration status. Legislated, with no exemptions.
• Paid: Fully paid to ensure workers are not financially penalized for following public health advice.
• Adequate: At least ten (10) paid sick days provided on a permanent basis, with additional paid sick days as required during public health emergencies.
• Permanent: Available during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
• Accessible: No barriers to access. Prohibit employers from requiring sick notes; ensure no disruption of income or unnecessary applications; and provide sufficiently flexible leave that reflects the reality of workers’ lives, healthcare needs, and caregiving responsibilities; and

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER oppose further public subsidies for corporations like Amazon, Walmart, and Loblaws that are profiting from the pandemic and who should be implementing employer-paid sick days and raising wages; and

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FURTHER lobby provincial and federal government representatives to introduce and pass paid sick days legislation; and

THE VANCOUVER AND DISTRICT LABOUR COUNCIL WILL FINALLY encourage members to be involved in the campaign for paid sick days.

UPDATE 02/24/2021: Vancouver City Council passed the above mentioned motion unanimously.