Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is the last amendment. It aims to correct what we think is an inequity in the bill.
We asked the question earlier today and the answer was clear: in the legislation, all employees start at the same starting line. The new employee gets one day of sick leave per month, as does the employee who has worked for the company for several years. Therefore, an employee’s seniority does not confer any advantage.
What we are proposing is the recognition of this seniority as soon as the legislation comes into force. An employee with at least two years’ seniority in a company would therefore immediately be deemed to have earned ten days’ sick leave for the coming year, rather than having to wait and earn one day’s leave per month, as the new employee does.
We feel that this would be a recognition that the employee has been with the company for a long time and does not have to start from scratch in the same way as a new employee.