U.S. President Barack Obama will sign an executive order which requires federal government-contracted companies to provide pay for employees who are on sick leave, White House officials said.
Once the order is signed, contractors will be obliged to offer their workers up to seven paid sick days a year, which could benefit more than 300,000 workers around the country, according to the Washington Post.
This comes after related orders which will compel federal employers to increase salaries and improve conditions for their workers. These include boosting overtime compensation, prohibiting of discrimination based on sexual orientation and enhancing the minimum wage of workers, according to CNN.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez praised the president for the move. However, he added that the U.S. is still trailing other countries in terms of paid leave.
"Regrettably, here it's become a partisan issue where certain Republicans have said, 'we can't afford to do this,'" Perez said, according to the International Business Times. "The Republican Party is out of step with similar conservative governments around the world... everyone else in the world has recognized how common-sense this is."
Obama is expected to make the announcement on Monday during his speech in Boston.
