Editor:
This letter was sent to Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicolas Simons.
The Ministry of Labour is consulting on the future of paid sick leave in B.C. There’s only one answer: workers need 10 days of employer-paid sick leave a year.
Paid sick leave is a fundamental part of how we build a strong and equitable economy and safeguard public health. It is more than just a workplace issue; it’s essential to public health, and key to a resilient province and workforce that is ready to weather the ongoing pandemic and confront future crises. But most of all, it’s a simple matter of equity and fairness, and never forcing workers to choose between their health and their financial well-being.
Paid sick leave is long overdue and a major step forward for our province. Now we must get it right. Workers need a permanent paid sick leave program that:
• Protects workers’ jobs.
• Provides 10 days of paid sick leave a year.
• Fully pays workers’ wages.
• Is paid for and provided by employers with no barriers to access.
• Applies to full-time, part-time, casual, term-specific and temporary workers.
Policy makers around the world already understand the importance of paid sick leave. New Zealand just increased their paid sick leave from five to 10 days. Australia provides 10 days of leave. Sweden offers 14 days and Germany 30. We are falling behind, and the consequences of doing so are far too great.
I urge you to institute 10 days of employer-paid sick leave.
Miyuki Shinkai, President, Sunshine Coast Labour Council
