Supporters of paid sick leave in B.C. advocate from Vancouver and Victoria

A so-called “COVID-safe Day of Action” is taking place Monday in Metro Vancouver and Victoria, with groups hoping to pressure the Horgan government to follow through with its plans to bring in mandatory paid sick leave for workers.

Raj Khunkhun, VP with Community Savings Credit Union, says his organization is advocating for 10 paid sick days.

“We’re lagging behind comparable countries like New Zealand and Australia. They already introduced 10 paid sick days. Germany actually has 30,” he said. “The federal government is poised to bring in 10 paid sick days for federally regulated workers, so we think B.C. should introduce 10 paid sick days as well.”

Related Articles:

• B.C. seeks input on length of paid sick leave

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

• Health-care workers demand Trudeau fast track paid sick-leave policy

The Horgan government is expected to pass legislation before the end of the year to bring in paid sick leave, despite opposition from certain groups — including the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

But Khunkhun says having provincially-mandated paid sick days isn’t going to deter businesses.

“We have always provided 12 paid sick days, but we provided a further 10 paid sick days during the pandemic, very early on, and also an additional six hours a week off just to get groceries because the line-ups were long,” said Khunkhun.

They found there was no impact to their bottom line and had their most profitable year to-date.

“We don’t want people to have to decide between getting paid fully and putting others at risk. We don’t think that should be a burden on the worker. They should also be able to take the time off, and that will also help our healthcare system, which is already really stressed right now,” added Khunkhun.