After running on a platform that presented their party as labour friendly, there has yet to be an official announcement that the Progressive Conservatives will extend the Worker Income Protection Benefit Program. The program, which legislates three paid sick days for workers who miss work for reasons related to COVID-19, will expire on July 31.
As the expiry date looms, workers across the province are feeling the growing anxiety.
“I don’t feel at ease at all,” said Yolanda McClean, Secretary Treasurer for the Ontario section of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in an interview with rabble.ca. “That’s not just a personal feeling by the way. I’m sure many people are feeling uneasy as we’re going into the seventh wave.”
McClean said that when workers do not have access to paid sick days, they are faced with a choice between putting food on the table and staying home to reduce transmission of an illness.
“How do you choose between necessities and necessities?” McClean asked.
Without sick days, McClean says workers don’t have the opportunity to care for themselves, perform their work tasks properly or protect their communities.
