Paid Sick Leave Update
April 8, 2022
The province has expanded sick leave after several months of pressure from the FSA and other BC unions. Earlier this year, Executive Director Michael Conlon wrote about the failure of provincial legislation to cover all workers in BC. In the province’s January 2022 announcement, almost all part-time public sector workers–including FSA Part-Time Studies (PTS) members–were excluded from the guarantee. Our members contacted legislators and applied pressure to expand coverage in solidarity with their PTS co-workers. Your actions were important in the provincial government rectifying its glaring omission. Soon all unionized workers in BC will be able to access five sick days.
FSA representatives are working with BCIT to understand how this change in the legislation, expected to receive Royal Assent during this sitting of the provincial legislature, will be applied at the Institute. Management agrees that once the changes move through the legislative process they will apply to PTS members. In the interim, the current provisions of the collective agreement remain in force. We will confirm details of the changes once finalized.