Danny Cavanagh: The Nova Scotia Government’s announcement of four days of paid sick leave is a great win for all of us who have been advocating for it. But we know that four days is not enough, and we know that employers should be paying for it, not the taxpayers and above all, it must be permanent, not temporary.
John McCracken: Looking back at the last month of our caseloads, and more specifically, our provincial government’s actions, there is a compelling argument to be made that our province’s historic reliance on workers having to earn a living in other parts of the country has now come home to bite us.
Media release: Many of Nova Scotia’s home care workers are being denied appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as the third wave of COVID-19 rages throughout the province.
In the last day two individuals within the the Burnside jail, one an employee, have been infected with COVID-19. It’s time to let our MLAs know that that there is understanding and compassion in the community for people who are experiencing criminalization, says Martha Paynter of Wellness Within.
The NSGEU has been informed of a number of COVID exposures within the 811 call centre, which is operated by Emergency Medical Care Inc. Despite having what now constitutes an outbreak at this workplace, the employer and government, which funds the service, are refusing to allow these members to work remotely.
In March of last year, when the virus first arrived here, Halifax Transit waived fees, allowing passengers to use the rear doors to board and exit and thus limiting bus drivers’ exposures. Bus occupancy was limited. Fares were waived. Now, with infection rates much higher, and while facing new more virulent and deadly Covid-19 strains, Halifax Transit has refused to make a similar adjustment.
Rather than scolding , the premier should take a hard look at the state of the province, and consider the damage done by decades of deadly penny pinching austerity and a paralyzing fear of offending employers.
Danny Cavanagh: Taxpayers should not be bailing out profitable corporations, but that is what we see proposed in Ontario with its 3-day sick leave plan which is inadequate for workers and unfair to taxpayers. Employers should pay for sick leave, and if they really need help, they must be required to prove they need that help.
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Danny Cavanagh says that Premier Rankin’s COVID-19 press conference today shows the provincial government does not understand how the federal sick leave program works.
Media release: With growing numbers of school COVID-19 cases along with confirmation of community spread inside the HRM and potentially other regions, the NSTU is questioning why public health has not advised government to pivot to full remote learning at more schools.