Casual employees at Vancouver Coastal Health are reminded that you are now entitled to up to five days per calendar year of paid sick leave.

This new entitlement comes from changes to BC's Employment Standards Act (ESA) after successful lobbying by the labour movement, including the BCGEU.

In particular, staff who do not currently have access to paid sick leave such as casuals or staff with insufficient sick leave banks are now eligible for up to five paid sick days per year. These changes do not affect the VCHA staff with sick leave banks with a balance of five or more days.

These changes are effective immediately and retroactive to March 31, 2022.

If you had any sick days between March 31 and June 23, 2022, you can apply for a sick leave credit and be paid for those shifts you missed due to illness. Please complete and submit a pay inquiry form for any shifts missed due to illness or injury during this period (up to the maximum of five) by no later than Friday, July 8.

No additional action is required to activate this access to paid sick leave from June 24 onward. For sick days starting June 24, 2022 onwards, if you are missing a shift due to illness or injury, please report the absence as as per the normal practice. You should be paid for up to five days of sick leave every calendar year.

For more details regarding the entitlement and the sick leave credit available to you, please refer to the memo sent by VCH People to your work email on Monday, June 20, 2022 at 3:13 PM. This memo provides all the details you need to apply for a sick leave credit or how to apply for paid sick leave. Please direct your VCH questions to [email protected]

If you are wrongfully denied sick leave or sick leave credit, please contact a BCGEU steward to assist.

In solidarity,

Oliver Rohlfs - Staff Representative

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP