Tell the BC Government: Workers need paid sick days now!

Dear Ministers Bains and Dix,

We are writing to ask you to take urgent, immediate action to ensure every worker in British Columbia has access to paid sick leave — during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

As you know, 53% of BC workers get no paid sick leave at their jobs. And for workers earning less than $30,000 — who are disproportionately women and people of colour — that figure rises to 80%.

We’re encouraged that the BC government agrees that nobody should have to choose between staying home when they’re sick and putting food on the table. We’re all safer from infectious disease — COVID, influenza and many others — when sick workers can stay home and help keep their coworkers and the public safe.

The temporary federal sickness benefit is a stop-gap measure that only applies to COVID, doesn’t even pay minimum wage and forces workers to give up their wages first and wait to find out if they’ll be reimbursed. It’s not nearly enough.

New variants threaten BC with a fourth wave of the pandemic. The time to act is now: by creating a permanent paid sick leave program that:

• provides 10 sick days,
• fully pays workers’ wages,
• has no barriers to access,
• and applies to every worker in BC.

Canadians everywhere are looking to BC to set the bar for how governments can act to make life better for working people. We urge you to take this opportunity to lead the country, and create an enduring legacy for generations to come.

Sincerely,

The BC Federation of Labour