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Workers Centre event pushes for universal sick days

Most Canadians don't have paid sick days, a fact that disproportionately harms women and minority workers

A small group of Sudburians gathered in Memorial Park today to rally for universal paid sick days for all workers.

Organized by the Sudbury Workers Education and Advocacy Centre (SWEAC), the event heard from speakers including Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas, TiCarra Paquet, co-organizer of Black Lives Matter Sudbury, Ray Joncas from CUPE Local 1750 and Marie Lalande with Sudbury Community Legal Clinic.

SWEAC is joining workers advocacy groups and others in pushing the message that all workers don't just need but require seven paid sick days as well as 14 days of paid emergency leave to use during public health emergencies.

The campaign also calls for an end to the employer requirement for sick notes and to ensure paid emergency leave covers personal sickness, family emergencies and responsibilities, injury or other emergencies.

Scott Florence of SWEAC started off the event by providing some context. More than half of workers in Canada aren't entitled to paid sick days. But if you isolate out low-income earners, that stat jumps to 70 per cent. Considering that women, single parents, migrant workers and people who are visible minorities make up the bulk of low-income earners in Canada, the lack of access to paid sick days disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable members of society, the people who can least afford financially to miss work, Florence said.

"This isn't just a health issue; it's a gender and race issue as well," he said. "Seven paid sick days, 14 emergency leave days, these are key to workers' safety, to ensuring fairness for all."

The Decent Work and Health Network, which also supports the sick days issue, produced a report on paid sick days that showed, among other things, that even in jurisdictions that offer seven universal paid sick days, workers rarely need to use more than three. You can find that report here.

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said the pandemic offers a perfect example of why universal paid sick days are needed. She pointed out that the public health message throughout the pandemic has been if you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay home from work and isolate. 

The reality is, Gélinas said, that is impossible for the vast majority of people.

"How do you do this when you are precariously employed (and) if you don't show up for work there's a good chance you'll lose your job. And if you stay home because you're doing the right thing ... then you go without pay," she said. "The shutdown has added a lot of economic burdens to many, many families. Look at every social safety net — they are bursting at the seams trying to support us through this pandemic."

She said the pandemic has brought a level of awareness to the issue that was never there before.

"There could be some positives that come out of this pandemic and one of the positives is let's change our labour laws so we put it in legislation that every worker ... would have seven paid sick days and allowed to take up to 14 days without risk of losing their job ... the time has come."

After the speakers, Florence led the small crowd in an exercise involving yarn and chalk to demonstrate the number of potential contacts one sick child can have when they get on a bus with 42 other people.

The Decent Work and Health Network has started a petition to push for universal paid sick days. You can find that petition here.


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Mark Gentili

About the Author: Mark Gentili

Mark Gentili is the editor of Sudbury.com
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