Share
August 9, 2017
Regina—Unifor strongly supports paid domestic violence leave in its response to the Government of Saskatchewan’s consultation paper on interpersonal violence and employment leaves.
Tragically, Saskatchewan leads the country in domestic violence. Even Justice Minister Wyant admitted that the figures in the recent interim report of Death Review Committee reveal horrifying statistics. He described the province as having a significant issue with respect to not only inter-personal violence, but domestic homicide as well.
Unifor’s call for action includes changes in the workplace. Concrete action, such as a paid domestic violence leave, will support residents seeking to live lives free of domestic violence
“Domestic violence is a workplace issue,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Work cannot be safe if home isn’t.”
Employment standards legislation in Manitoba includes paid domestic leave and Alberta’s comes into force on January 1, 2018.
Unifor has been a trailblazer in putting practical supports in place for women in abusive relationships. The union bargained its first set of workplace Women’s Advocates in 1993 and now have over 350 Women’s Advocates in workplaces across Canada. These specially-trained Advocates assist women in finding community resources as well as assist in safety planning and risk assessment in the workplace. The union also has experience in negotiating paid domestic violence leave into contracts in a variety of sectors across the country.
