Ajax is campaigning for grant of 10 days of paid sick leave for employees across Ontario, the town’s mayor announced last week.
Mayor Shaun Collier said Ajax has recently joined a number of other municipalities across the GTHA (Greater Toronto Hamilton Area) requesting that the provincial and federal governments join forces to provide 10 funded sick days for employees who do not have this benefit at work.
This is so that we can stop the workplace spread of Covid-19 and alleviate inequality of access to support, he told members of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.
“Staying home when you’re sick shouldn’t lead to a choice between paying rent and feeding your family,” he added.
The Law
According to the provincial law, most employees have the right to take up to three days of unpaid job-protected leave each calendar year due to a personal illness, injury or medical emergency. This is known as sick leave. Special rules apply to some occupations.
Employees are entitled to up to three sick leave days per year once they have worked for an employer for at least two consecutive weeks. An employee who missed part of a day to take the leave would be entitled to any wages they actually earned while working.