Is a company required to give workers paid sick days?

Is there anything in employment standards legislation to compel an employer to pay a full-time worker who misses work because he is sick?

Brian Johnston
Question: Is a company required to give employees paid sick days? Is there anything in employment standards legislation to compel an employer to pay a full-time worker who misses work because he is sick?

Answer: Absent any requirement in an employment contract or collective agreement, employers are not required to provide employees with paid sick days.

Employment standards legislation throughout the country does not require employers to provide their employees with paid sick days.

Employment standards legislation in various provinces does, however, require employers to provide their employees with unpaid sick days.

The specifics of the unpaid sick leave provisions differ from province to province and therefore legal counsel should be sought.

Brian Johnston is a partner with Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales in Halifax. He can be reached at (902) 420-3374 or [email protected].

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