A call for sick pay and protections for those who need them most

COVID-19 is forcing the government to take action in areas that needed attention long before the pandemic.

A growing chorus of voices is calling for paid sick leave to better support workers and to curb the spread of COVID-19. Of course, making the choice between going to work while ill or losing income, and possibly your job, is not new. This is a long-standing reality for individuals living in or on the edge of poverty, many of whom are in workplaces with high pedestrian traffic, such as grocery stores.

In our pandemic reality, the decision to work rather than stay home has significant ramifications for all Ontarians, given the very real threat of the spread of the virus. For those whose work hours can be precarious and for whom paid sick time is not accessible, any victory on this issue may sting because the government would only be adjusting their position in the face of great political pressure. After all, it was this provincial government that took back the paid sick time introduced to Ontario’s employment standards legislation.

Sadly, and while it’s no consolation to those who sorely need sick-time protection, this is politics. As my political friends are quick to remind, government policy moves forward for one of two reasons; pain or gain. At no point in my years working for progress on behalf of workers has this statement been more true, and paid sick days are just the latest public policy to find traction in Ontario due to the pandemic.

For years, CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada) has advocated for changes to Ontario’s long-term-care system. We have talked about the horrific conditions, poor health outcomes and terrible working realities for personal support workers in the sector. For all our efforts, and the efforts of other unions and workers’ rights champions, little changed until the pandemic took hold, the army was called in, and the public saw what was happening to our seniors and those who care for them. The pain of this situation has finally prompted action, most notably in wage enhancements (albeit temporary) and the government’s commitment to increase hands-on care to four hours per day, more than 40 per cent higher than today’s average.

An area that has not yet garnered attention, but should, are the many workers in retirement homes and group homes who are not protected by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). While they may be covered under private for-profit insurance, this coverage is not comparable to WSIB and, as COVID-19 has demonstrated, private insurance is woefully inadequate. Pre-COVID, we already knew that private insurance provides less protection for part-time employees, no coverage for recurring or pre-existing injuries, and little meaningful hope of appeal. We now also know workers who contract COVID-19 while caring for our loved ones in these high-risk settings are not covered by their private insurance. For one of our union’s members who recently fell ill with COVID-19, this has meant months without pay and a lifetime of fear that complications could result in another prolonged unpaid absence. Companies like Aviva and Chubb that provide insurance for the sector do not cover communicable diseases in their policies. This is horribly wrong.

The pandemic has brought certain realities into focus, and those who were not aware can no longer look away. Let’s not ignore this moment. Let’s keep pressing for the changes that will protect our most vulnerable and those who care for them; changes such as employer paid sick days and proper insurance coverage are good places to start.