Source: Council of Trade Unions – CTU
COVID has shown us all how important it is to stay home when we are sick. Too many kiwis are experiencing the tension of needing to go to work when unwell because of a lack of paid sick leave. Being able to stay home when you are unwell is a public health issue. It’s about keeping everyone safe.
Independent research commissioned by the CTU (and conducted by UMR) shows widespread support across voters for safer sick leave –
- Almost two thirds of people asked (68%) support for upping legal minimum of paid sick leave beyond 5 days
- More than half support the minimum sick leave should be 10 days or more (53%)
- Almost two thirds of people asked (61%) agree that people should be able to access sick leave as soon as they start a new job (currently people are unable to access sick leave before six months service)
- 63% believe Government’s COVID-19 leave scheme should be expanded to cover people with symptoms waiting for test results (so they can stay home on pay)
- Poll taken 1 to 7 July of 1,128 NZ’ers, margin of error of +2.92%
In conclusion, people understand that sick leave minimums and protections are too low, and the CTU believes that in the light of COVID, people understand that this is a public health issue.
Thousands of people have signed our petition echoing the research findings https://www.together.org.nz/safer-sick-leave
