NDP Associate Labour Critic Jennifer Bowes has introduced Bill 603, the Saskatchewan Employment Amendment Act to provide paid sick leave for workers in Saskatchewan.

Bowes says, “We’ve called on the government to listen to workers, doctors and public health officials who have all called for paid sick leave to keep working people, their families and their communities safe.” She says, “The government has refused to act, despite the prevalence of workplace outbreaks as variants spread in Saskatchewan.”

Bill 603 would provide 10 paid sick days each year during non-COVID times and 14 paid sick days during the COVID-19 state of emergency. While these sick days would be the responsibility of the employer, the Saskatchewan NDP believes that the government should work with businesses to support these efforts in a way that does not unduly burden small and medium sized businesses during the course of the pandemic.

Bowes says, “The Sask. Party government has failed to contain COVID-19, failed to protect workers and failed to protect jobs.”