Time to provide necessities

When Manitobans go to work, we do not need to worry about bringing toilet paper, hand soap or towels for when we need to use the washroom.

That is because our workplace health and safety laws require employers to provide these necessary sanitary items at work for employees, free of charge.

But the same rules do not apply for a key sanitary item that many workers need to use regularly: menstrual products, like pads and tampons. Leaving menstrual products off the list of washroom supplies that need to be provided at work discriminates against women and gender-diverse people. It creates unsanitary conditions and effectively requires women and gender diverse workers to pay to use the washroom.

According to statistics from the Canada’s Department of Women and Gender Equality, 17 per cent of Canadians who menstruate have experienced period poverty, meaning they could not afford or access the menstrual products they needed. That number jumps to one in four among people living in lower-income households.

The continued cost of living crisis is hitting these households the hardest, making period poverty a growing concern.

To its credit, in 2023 the federal government took action to require that all federally regulated employers provide free menstrual products in the workplace for employees who need them. This move benefits nearly half a million Canadian workers.

But most workers fall under provincial workplace health and safety laws, and Manitoba hasn’t yet followed suit.

Menstruation is a natural and biological process. It’s not optional. It’s not something people sign up for. It can’t be paused until the end of the workday. It can’t be put on hold until the weekend. It happens when it happens. Workers need menstrual products throughout their shifts.

So why does Manitoba require half of its workforce to pay for and bring their own necessary washroom supplies to work?

There is broad support for the need to make menstrual products available for free in the workplace. In fact, last January Manitoba’s labour minister received a recommendation to make this change from the committee appointed by government to give advice on strengthening Manitoba’s workplace safety and health laws, made up of safety experts from employers, labour, community and health care.

Since then, more than 1,000 workers and other supporters have sent postcards produced by the Manitoba Federation of Labour to the minister urging her to move forward with implementation.

Unfortunately, a year later, action has yet to be taken on this joint recommendation.

The provincial NDP government has recognized the importance of improving access to menstrual products for better health and gender equity with a new pilot project called “Access for All, Period.” Under this program, free menstrual products are being provided for students in schools, and to people accessing services from domestic violence shelters and other community service providers.

According to the Women and Gender Equity Manitoba website: “Removing barriers to access menstrual products is crucial to the physical and mental health of all who menstruate. A lack of proper access can result in dangerous situations, leading to both short and long term physical harm, as well as mental health issues including anxiety, depression and self isolation.”

The same rationale supports requiring free menstrual products in the workplace.

The provincial government has also taken some other important steps to both lower costs and improve gender equity through initiatives like providing free birth control and expanding access to $10/day child care. But the government needs to continue to break down barriers that discriminate against women and gender diverse Manitobans.

Treating menstrual products like the necessities that they are would create healthier and more inclusive workplaces, improve gender equity and reduce stigma around periods. And it would help many workers who are struggling to just pay the bills in the face of rising prices.

It is time for our workplace health and safety laws to catch up to the realities of today’s workplaces. And old laws that discriminate against women and gender diverse people need to be called out and replaced.

It is time for Manitoba to require employers to provide free menstrual products at work, just like other necessary sanitary supplies.

Anna Rothney is the executive director of the Manitoba Federation of Labour.