Paid Sick Leave Coming to the Canada Labour Code

The federal government has been consulting with labour and employers on amendments to the Canada Labour Code. Canada Post is a federally-regulated workplace, and these changes will affect us.

CONSULTATIONS

Last March and again on May 2, CUPW, other worker representatives, and employer representatives, met with representatives of the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). During these meetings, ESDC staff clarified the upcoming changes and heard feedback. This is the latest information we have on what to expect:

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS

Bill C-3, passed in December 2021, amends the Canada Labour Code to provide for up to ten paid sick days per year. The bill is now law, but the paid sick leave provision is not yet in effect. ESDC is planning to propose amendments.

If adopted by Parliament, these amendments would:

• simplify how/when workers will earn sick days;
• align the requirements for medical certificates between paid and unpaid sick leave;
• make sure workers can keep their accumulated sick days when there is a transfer of business or a contract is re-tendered;
• extend the regulatory authority on method of accumulation of sick leave; and
• bring the paid sick leave provision into force on December 1, 2022.

Since workers will accumulate their first three {3} sick days after 30 days of continuous employment, the first three {3} sick days will become available as of January 2023 (if adopted).

STATUTORY SICK LEAVE

To clarify, the bill calls for accumulation of one {1} paid sick day per month (three {3} in the first month after 30 days of continuous employment) to a maximum of ten {10} paid sick days per year, paid at 100% of regular wages, specifically for illness and injury. Since September 2019, the Code also provides for up to five {5} days of personal leave per year, three {3} paid and two {2} unpaid which are from now on not to be used for illness or injury.

We currently have seven {7} personal days (that can be used for multiple reasons) and the Short-Term Disability Program (STDP). To know exactly how these new paid sick days will apply to postal workers, we will need to see the regulations that will be released this summer. However, the main point of the legislation is that every employee under federal regulations will have at least ten {10} paid sick days per year.

Please stay tuned: we will communicate further once we have seen and analyzed the regulations.

In Solidarity,