Removing Sick Note Requirement for Workers a Positive Step

The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL) welcomes the proposed changes to the Labour Standards Act that will remove the requirement for workers to provide a medical note after three consecutive days of sick leave. The policy change still allows employers to implement their own policies regarding sick notes.

“This is a good first step by the government on this front; one that workers and their unions, as well as the medical community, have been requesting for some time,” said NLFL President Jessica McCormick. “This change will reduce stress on our healthcare system, free up healthcare workers to focus on providing care, improve access to healthcare, and allow workers to concentrate on getting healthy before returning to work.”

“However, the full impact of this change will depend on individual employers, who will still have the ability to set their own sick note policies, even for short-term illnesses,” said McCormick. “Employers should absolutely follow the precedent set by this change – for our healthcare system and for workers – but they are not required to do so.”

A recently released report by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) estimated that as many as 12.5 million unnecessary healthcare appointments could be eliminated annually by removing the requirement for sick notes for minor, short-term illnesses.

“Workers and their families need this government to implement further labour legislation changes to improve their working and living conditions,” said McCormick. “We are hopeful that this change signals that this government is listening to workers and is ready to prioritize their needs. We will continue to pressure the government to ensure this happens.”

Recently, the NLFL called on the provincial government to increase the Income Replacement Rate for injured workers. Additionally, the NLFL is urging the government to introduce legislation during this session to ensure workers have access to ten (10) paid sick days.

“Sick notes are just one part of the overall picture,” said McCormick. “Workers should not feel pressured to come to work while sick for fear of losing their jobs. If the goal is to reduce the financial strain on workers and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases, as the Minister states in her release, then we also need to enact increased access to paid sick days and better compensation for injured workers.”