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PSAC President Robyn Benson said the union won’t be entertaining any proposal that demands concessions on the existing sick-leave regime. She called the proposal a “go-to-work sick plan” that would force public servants to choose between showing up on the job sick or losing pay.

She argued the big concern about fewer sick days – combined with a waiting period – is that public servants could end up going to work ill and making their colleagues sick rather than staying at home, because they have run out of sick days.

“The bottom line in my humble opinion is this [means] ‘go-to-work-sick’ and that will be the reality,” said Benson. “This government is telling their employees you have sick leave in your collective agreements and we are going to take it and you can go to work sick, be less productive and make everyone else sick and if you don’t go to work, then by God, you won’t be able to feed your children.”

Benson said the government also expects public servants who borrow sick-leave credits because they don’t have enough banked leave when they fall ill to repay that advance later.

Under the existing contract, public servants can bank unused leave and roll it over year-to-year; bureaucrats have socked away thousands of hours over the years. The five days of sick leave the government is now proposing cannot be accumulated and carried over. Any unused days will disappear at the end of the year.

The government calls for an unpaid, seven “calendar day” waiting period which kicks in after public servants use all their allotted sick leave. After the waiting period, employees would be eligible to apply for short-term disability which pays benefits for up to 26 weeks.