Media release: Nova Scotians need paid sick days without the requirement of a doctor’s note
Preparing for cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre (Halifax-WAC) is calling for paid sick leave for all employees along with legislation to prohibit employers from requesting doctors’ notes to confirm absences due to illness.
“Workers should not have to choose between staying home and losing a day of pay, or going to work sick,” said Jason Edwards, organizer with the Halifax-WAC. “Everyone benefits when sick workers stay home and get well: employers, coworkers, and taxpayers. Encouraging sick workers to stay home is good public policy.”
Currently, Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Code does not guarantee any paid sick leave to employees, nor is there any statutory regulation around employers requesting medical documentation.
“Requiring workers to obtain medical notes burdens the unwell employee and the medical system,” said Edwards. “Unless an employer has reason to believe that an employee or their family member is not sick or injured, the employer should not be allowed to require a doctor’s note.”.....
No kidding -- not just for the sick workers only: requiring sick notes means burdening the health system and sharing illness in medical sites as well as at work.