TORONTO -- For weeks, doctors have been sounding the alarm that essential workers are bearing the brunt of new COVID-19 infections, and one warehouse union rep says his members are afraid to go to work.
With more contagious variants taking over and ICUs filling up, provinces have reinstated stricter pandemic measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, but for workers deemed essential, it鈥檚 not enough.
鈥淚t's no secret paid sick days and compensation for people that need to make sure that taking the proper measures would definitely help curb these issues,鈥 Shayne Fields, president of Unifor Local 222, told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Thursday.
Often, workers who don鈥檛 have employer paid sick days can鈥檛 afford to take days off without pay and end up going to work sick, which has resulted in workplace transmission of COVID-19. This has made some employees wary of going to work.
鈥淭here's a big apprehensiveness to go into work, obviously,鈥 he said. 鈥淪ometimes it's not possible to keep social distance in warehouse work itself. It鈥檚 all about the transmission, it's all about potentially catching it themselves and bringing it home to their families and loved ones.鈥
In Ontario, where Fields represents workers, paid sick days have been a contentious issue with Premier Doug Ford saying the federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is enough, and workers saying it鈥檚 too little.
鈥淚t's the blame game with him and what I've seen from Doug Ford and his MPPs, you know they're putting the blame back on the federal government,鈥 Fields said.
Prior to 2018, employers in Ontario had to provide employees with two paid sick days. It was repealed by Premier Ford鈥檚 Conservative government.
鈥淏ut Doug Ford and his party needs to know that the workers of Ontario will not be fooled, and if he tries to implement something that is insufficient or that is temporary, that won't be good enough for the workers of Ontario,鈥 said Fields.
But it鈥檚 not just paid sick days that would help warehouse workers.
鈥淥ne thing that I'm advocating for and our national union is also advocating for is access to the vaccine for essential workers,鈥 he said. 鈥淪pecifically for me, I've been pushing for warehouse workers.鈥
These people have been working throughout the entire pandemic, through lockdowns and various restrictions they鈥檝e been on the frontlines and Fields wants that to be recognized. He said that some employers have made big profits during the pandemic and that they should share the wealth with those who helped build those profits while risking their health.
鈥淟oblaw... generated money hand over fist and they made out very well through this pandemic, and I think that the workers should share in the profit and be rewarded and be compensated for the time effort and the risk.鈥
