BC has become the first province in Canada to mandate five days of paid sick leave. Each resident will be entitled to the paid leave per annum starting in January.
On November 24, labour minister Harry Bains said, “this is not optional, this is the law.”
A temporary three-day program that provides employers with a maximum $200 reimbursement will expire at the end of 2021. No reimbursements will be offered to businesses under the permanent program, which covers employees under the Employment Standards Act.
Bains said the benefit of paid sick leave “far exceeds the cost or modest cost that comes with paid sick leave.”
Workers having the ability to stay away from their place of employment when suffering from an illness, and not having it affect their finances, is a good thing, for employees that is. Expecting the resulting cost to employers to be “modest” is wishful thinking.
In addition to paying the sick employee, the employer has to pay a replacement worker, or be shorthanded while the sick employee is away from work.
COVID-19 showed the detriment of not having sick leave for many people in the province. Sickness not being passed onto other employees or customers is a benefit, but the potential for abusing the paid leave is a concern.
Taking a sick day on a brilliantly sunny summer day, while completely healthy, might be more enticing when it doesn’t affect the pocketbook. But people who already have paid sick days included as part of their employment package never do that, right? The number of abuses may be small, but still significant.
The province estimates that 50 per cent of British Columbians do not have access to paid sick leave. Once everyone does, who foots the bill?
