The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Belleville and District supports the call for paid sick leave for all workers.
The CFUW issued this statement on Thursday:
The Provincial Government has responded to the pressure to legislate paid sick leave for all workers by stating that there is already a program (Federal) under the Safe Restart Agreement.
The legislation we believe is necessary, is for permanent paid sick days and not a temporary Federal program (expires Sept 2021). There is no duplication in CFUW’s call for this necessary legislation.
Workers without paid sick days are found in disproportionately large numbers at the bottom of the socio-economic scale. Living from paycheque to paycheque, these workers cannot afford to wait to receive the $450 per week that the temporary Federal Sickness benefit provides. Of the $1.1 billion set aside to cover sick leave, Ontario has upwards of $700 million remaining. It is clearly not meeting the needs of those who are struggling the most.
The application process requires a CRA account and can only begin the week following the missed days. The wait times for payout can stretch to four weeks. For workers the temptation to minimize symptoms and go to work is real.
Today’s workers need to take a sick day without penalty when they are sick or, during the pandemic, when experiencing COVID symptoms. Everyone in society suffers when symptomatic workers go to work. The pandemic has exacerbated this suffering and highlighted the need for paid sick days for all workers.
