Media advisory – New report: Government inaction on decent wages and paid sick days undermining pandemic response, according to health experts

With Ontario entering a 6th wave and restrictions being lifted, our patients in low-wage and precarious employment are yet again being abandoned without protections. Government inaction to address workplace protections is a clear failure to learn the lessons of the pandemic. 

A groundbreaking new report set to be released on Wednesday, April 6, shows how low wages, lack of paid sick days, and absence of workplace protections undermined public health during the pandemic. Titled “Prescription for a health recovery: Decent work for all,” the report draws on interviews with health providers on the frontlines and the latest medical evidence to put forward recommendations for improving working conditions as a public health imperative. 

When: Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 7am

Available for interview:

• Dr. Amit Arya, palliative care physician
• Birgit Umaigba, ICU nurse
• Debra Slater, PSW
• Dr. Danyaal Raza, family physician

Press release & full report “Prescriptions for a health recovery: Decent work for all” will be made available at 7am EST, April 6 here.

To arrange interviews, contact:

Sarah Shahid
Organizer, Decent Work and Health Network
[email protected] | 514-415-4666

About the organization:

The Decent Work and Health Network is a coalition of health providers advocating for improving working conditions to help protect and promote the health of our patients. We are a group of doctors, nurses, health workers, and experts who have been leading voices for paid sick days and decent work as urgent evidence-based public health measures.