The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party wants to see all employees get paid for sick days.

Often, people go into work when they're not well because they can't afford to take the time off.

The NDP is proposing new legislation that would establish paid sick days for all workers in the province.

The idea is that employees would earn one half-day for every month worked, or six days per year.

“It would target a lot of low-wage earners because typically they're the ones that are in minimum wage or slightly above minimum wage that currently have no sick leave protections so those workers cannot afford to take time off and miss a day or two because they're barley making ends meet now,” said NDP MLA Tammy Marin.

The Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU) says the proposed legislation is a great idea for Nova Scotians.

“I don't know how any party would actually oppose this,” said NSGEU president Jason MacLean. “It's a more productive workplace if somebody doesn't come to work sick because then you won't have half of the work place out sick.”

Labour and employment lawyer David Walbridge says many other jurisdictions in Canada are also moving toward paid sick days.

“Our current sick leave provision in the Labour Standards Code, which is three unpaid days off in case of illness, is outdated and it's in need of reform,” Wallbridge said.

The proposed bill would also prevent employers from requiring sick notes from a doctor. That’s something Doctors Nova Scotia says they would love to see.

“While it seems like a small issue, it's actually something that impacts a much bigger problem of administrative burden,” said Doctors Nova Scotia president Tim Holland. “Family physicians spend about two to four hours of unpaid work, well into the evenings, working on a variety of paperwork. Sick notes are one small part of that, so if we eliminate sick notes, we can have physicians spending less time on paper and more time with patients.”

However there are some concerns with the idea, especially when it comes to small businesses.

“If you’re running a small business, it’s not only the cost, it’s the absence of an employee, that employee then has to be replaced,” said Jordi Morgan of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.

There's no indication yet if the Liberal government will support the NDP’s proposed legislation.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Natasha Pace.