Sick leave: What are we waiting for, advocates ask
Sick leave: What are we waiting for, advocates ask
urham nurse Birgit Umaigba is one of many newcomers who do not qualify for paid sick leave despite working in an essential service.
Photo: @amybrathwaite
October 22, 2021
By Alec Regino
The Liberal federal government promised to extend paid sick leave benefits to 10 days within the first 100 days of a new term in office. Advocates are calling on the government to lead by example and act right away. NCM’s Alec Regino reports.
Healthcare workers, many of whom are immigrants, are putting pressure on the federal government to deliver on their promise to legislate 10 days of paid sick leave for workers now rather than wait until the first 100 days in office.
“Our patients cannot afford any more delays,” says Decent Work and Health Network (DWHN) member Dr. Monika Dutt. “For people who are migrant workers, paid sick days are a piece of a much bigger picture — without [it] most people don’t have the opportunity to stay home when they’re sick.”
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