Workers rights group calls for increased sick days for all Ontarians

As the pandemic continues, a group advocating for paid sick leave for all workers says it's important people are able to stay home and be paid if they're sick.

On Wednesday, the Decent Work & Health Care Network released a report on the topic. Currently, the federal government is working with provinces to ensure more paid sick days are available for workers.

In Ontario, most employees have the right to take up to three days of unpaid job-protected leave each year. The federal government is looking at increasing that to ten days with the ongoing pandemic.

The network says across Canada, 58 per cent of workers don't have access to paid sick leave. It says while 10 days would be a start, it's calling for an additional 14 paid sick days during the pandemic.

In Sudbury, Laurentian University student Mikaela Cheslock says having access to paid sick leave would be beneficial. She's had jobs in the retail sector and says many workers don't want to call in sick for a variety of reasons.

"I've had multiple occasions where it's happened where I have gotten sick and showed up to work anyways," she said.

"That sickness has honestly lasted a month because I couldn't get rid of it as I was constantly on the go."

She says she's feared her job wouldn't be there for her when she got back and adds she can't afford not to get paid.

"In these part time jobs today, you're so easily replaced," she said.

Cheslock says if having paid sick days were an option, she'd choose to look after herself when she's sick instead of going into work.

"I'd take those couple of days to recuperate and then I'd be back at it," she said.

"My studies, my work, nothing would be impacted as much as it currently is. The security of knowing that we have those paid sick days, makes going to work a lot less stressful. We know that's there if we need it."

The plan to increase paid sick days has support from many groups, including Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

Dana Wilson is the health unit's manager of health equity.

"We know that low income workers in precarious employment are less likely to have paid sick time than their higher income full time permanent counterparts," she said.

"Low income individuals who often don't have a voice in these conversations."

Wilson says the people most likely to hold precarious jobs include single mothers, immigrants and Indigenous people. 

She says health units agree that more sick days would be a proactive approach to containing the COVID-19 pandemic.