Some B.C. businesses still resistant to paid sick leave: CFIB

It’s getting closer to decision time when it comes to the B.C. government’s plan to bring in paid sick leave, as the debate over what the program should look like rages on.

Ahead of the program being brought in January, 2022, business leaders and labour organizations have differing views on the proposal.

Seth Scott with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says workers should be able to stay home if they’re sick, but this isn’t the right time introduce the program because many employers are still struggling due to the pandemic.

“We’re seeing about 46 per cent of small businesses in B.C. are making normal revenues and that’s not good. On top of that, they have record numbers of COVID debt — $129,000 on average,” he said.

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Consultation is underway until Oct. 25, after which time the provincial minimum length of paid sick leave will be determined.

Since May, workers who don’t already have sick pay covered by employers are allowed three days, but that temporary program expires Dec. 31, with the new program promised to take effect on Jan. 1. The province has been covering up to $200 a day for up to three days.

Two thirds of CFIB members polled recently said they wouldn’t support employer-paid sick leave — at all.

“They’re not in the best shape to be taking on additional costs. It’s not the right time for them to be doing that, and shoving paid sick leave on to them as well, whether it’s three, five, or 10 days,” he said. “They care about their employees, but they don’t have the the financial means to to shoulder this program all by themselves.”

But Laird Cronk with the BC Federation of Labour says workers need the program, and other jurisdictions show how it can effectively be done.

“What’s the cost of not having paid sick leave? The cost is, you could have somebody making the untenable decision of worrying about paying rent, or their bills, or groceries, going to work sick and making others sick,” he said. “Worst-case scenario with COVID-19, if you have an outbreak you’re shut down for ten days.”

Cronk believes the only question is not whether or not if the program will go ahead, but rather how many days will be provided.

“We also need to cover all the workers in the workplace, because it doesn’t make sense to have a full-time worker, covered with paid sick leave, with a part time worker that comes in and isn’t, and so and they bring illness in because of those economic barriers,” he notes.

Other countries around the world have shown B.C. what is possible, Cronk says.

“New Zealand has 10 (days), Australia has 10, Sweden has 14, Germany has 30. The federal government is now pledged to introduce 10 for federally regulated workers and employees,” he said.