The BC government has announced the introduction of Bill 11, which will change the Employment Standards Act to stop employers from requiring sick notes from employees for short-term absences.
These changes are sensible, welcome, and necessary.
When they take effect in the fall of 2025, they will free up doctors and nurses who have carried the unnecessary burden of providing sick notes for patients at the request of employers.
“When you’re sick, the last thing you should have to do is go to your doctor or a medical clinic in order to get a piece of paper saying you’re sick,” said Minister of Labour, Jennifer Whiteside, in the government news release. “Not only is that difficult for a sick person to do, but it doesn’t help you get better any faster or prevent the spread of illness.”
What you need to know
Most UFCW Local 247 collective agreements already include rules around sick notes that are better than the upcoming Employment Standards Act changes. But this is still a welcome change for all BC workers.
The regulations are not yet in place but are expected to be implemented “prior to respiratory illness season in fall 2025.”
Changes to the regulations will cover:
Sick notes for short-term absences have been a long-standing issue for healthcare advocates and labour organizations, including our union.
Even though our collective agreements often have specific rules on sick notes, shop stewards and union representatives must regularly inform and remind supervisors and managers about them.
We know that changing the law can improve workers’ rights. It is equally important that these changes create discussion, add perspective to an issue, and help to change attitudes.
“Our healthcare system is supposed to be there for patient care, not Human Resources,” said Dan Goodman, President of UFCW Local 247. “Too often, many employers have relied on doctors and nurses to determine whether a worker legitimately missed a day or two of work due to a short-term illness.”
“While many of our union collective agreements protect against this,” Goodman continued, “the new regulations allow us to remind some supervisors of the rules. We applaud that this sensible approach to sick notes will be extended to all BC workers, freeing up resources in our healthcare system.”
Last fall, the Canadian Medical Association reported that approximately one-third of working Canadians were asked by their employers to provide a sick note for a short-term absence at least once in the previous year. They estimate that BC doctors wrote approximately 1.6 million sick notes in 2024.
Changes around sick notes were promised by the NDP during the fall 2024 election campaign.
Rules around sick notes depend on what’s in your Collective Agreement. You can download your Collective Agreement on our website here: https://www.ufcw247.com/your-agreement/by-employer/
Generally, if you do not have specific language in your collective agreement around sick notes, then the Employment Standards Act applies.
UFCW Local 247 members are welcome to reach out to their Union Representative using contact information listed on our website here: https://www.ufcw247.com/your-union/union-representatives/
