Are you affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Have you been laid off, or are you working under sketchy conditions?

The overwhelming impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is falling on the shoulders of working class people. We’re seeing mass layoffs across the hospitality and service industry and thousands of people losing their jobs.

At the same time, unsafe working conditions due to long hours and exposure to COVID-19 are unacceptable for grocery and retail workers.

Here’s what we can do about it:

Read up on your rights at work and financial help for people affected by COVID-19.
Contact us for help if you believe your employer owes you wages or you have been mistreated.
Just need to vent about what you’re going through? Tell us about it so we can share worker stories on social media.
Let’s organize for better conditions! Sign the petition calling for paid sick days, faster EI benefits for all, and more long overdue protections.

Join our call for the BC NDP to take immediate action to support workers in this critical time.

Workers have been put in this precarious position due to years of inaction by the BC NDP. No one should have to choose between working while sick and or not being able to pay rent.

This health emergency has made the need for paid sick days and adequate job protection more obvious than ever before.

1. We call for improved worker protections including the right to:

  • 2 weeks of paid sick or emergency leave without the requirement of a doctor’s note;
  • Refuse unsafe work when sick, without fear of losing your job;
  • Stable employment by removing the 3 month probationary period;
  • Protected medical leave of up to 52 weeks.

2. We demand that the BC NDP advocate for changes to Employment Insurance, to ensure that:

  • The one week waiting period is removed for any claims;
  • Income while on EI may be ‘topped up’ to at least a living wage;
  • Tips and other income may be claimed as insurable earnings.

4. We demand that any temporary measures that are introduced to support workers during COVID-19 should remain in place permanently, and that all of these benefits, through the Employment Standards Act, be equally available to all workers in BC: including temporary foreign workers; contractors; gig economy workers; and part-time workers.

5. We demand an immediate investigation by the Employment Standards Branch of any businesses in BC that have not paid any worker their final paycheck.

In the Media

Tell us your story

Were you laid off because of COVID-19? Are you working under sketchy conditions right now? Tell us about it and we’ll post it on our social media so more people know how workers are affected.

You can choose whether to tell us your name and workplace. Social media stories will be posted anonymously.