For many of us, today is Family Day. And I can bet you a tasty cupcake that in lunchrooms across the country, this question is bound to come up:
Why am I working family day?
It’s a valid question. Last week, it was Family Day in British Columbia. As Regional Vice-President Jennifer Chieh Ho pointed out to CBC, many public service employees had to go to work while businesses and daycares were closed, causing headaches for parents with young children.
“In my office, I do have quite a few young workers who have little children, and some of them have had to take time off in order for them to spend time with their family, their spouses,” she told CBC.
But why is it that public service employees have to work on Family Day?
Well, for starters, Family Day isn’t a national holiday. It’s a provincial holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Prince Edward Islanders also have a provincial holiday today: it’s called Islander Day – Manitobans, likewise, have Louis Riel Day.
A federal public servant is entitled to statutory holidays that are fixed by proclamation of the governor-in-council (in other words, it’s a cabinet decision). Provincial holidays are enacted by lieutenant-governors.
If you’re a public service employee, there are two roads to getting an extra day off in February:
Family Day would have to become a statutory holiday.
Essentially, the federal government would have to pass a law making Family Day a statutory holiday. There was an effort to do something like that in 2007, when NDP MP Peggy Nash introduced a private member’s bill that would have made Flag Day (Feb. 15) a statutory holiday.
“Flag Day is a great day to have that break, especially in the middle of winter,” Nash told CBC. “It’s a good way to get over the February blahs.” (We agree!)
Or, Family Day would have to become part of the holidays recognized in your collective agreement.
The great thing about being unionized is that every member has the opportunity to improve their work conditions. Each time your bargaining team goes to the table, they present demands from the members.
It’s thanks to collective bargaining that we have paid sick leave and family leave – and, let’s face it, a greater number of vacation days than our non-unionized counterparts. There’s no reason why we can’t go to the bargaining table asking for another paid holiday, if that’s what the members really want!