More than 3,000 Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) registered nurses (RNs) and health professionals, including about 260 employees for the Erie St. Clair CCAC, will go back to work on Tuesday.
The ongoing labour dispute will now be sent to arbitration.
“During this strike, there has been a colossal waste of health care dollars as the employer spent taxpayers’ money foolishly on catered meals for management, overtime, strike-breaking security firms and high-priced lawyers, and who knows what else – with complete disregard for the public purse,” said Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stoud, RN.
“We always believed that our offer of several months ago to go to interest arbitration was fair and reasonable and best for our patients that we serve. Unfortunately, it took our members’ resolve when forced out on to the picket lines to bring the government and employers to their senses.”
Haslam-Stroud added that ONA offered the option of arbitration some time ago, but “these greedy CEOs would rather have our members frozen out on the picket lines than show these health care professionals the respect they so highly deserve.”
Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, issued a a statement on the labour situation between the CCAC’s and the ONA.
“I am pleased that striking health care providers represented by the Ontario Nurses’ Association will return to work on Tuesday. Both parties involved in the labour negotiations have agreed to arbitration. This is excellent news for more than 650,000 people, including seniors, who receive care through our Community Care Access Centres and community agencies,” Hoskins said.
“We are committed to improving the experience of patients and their families and ensuring access to high-quality home and community care right across the province. We value the hard work of thousands of dedicated nurses and health-care professionals who provide such excellent care to those individuals”.
Hoskins added: “A strong system depends on these dedicated professionals and the valuable contribution they make to the health and well-being of the most vulnerable people in the province. They are essential to continuing the transformation of home and community care in Ontario. We cannot do this without them. It is my hope that a resolution can be quickly reached to ensure that people can continue to access the quality home and community services they need now and in the future.”
The 3,000 health professionals include: Care Coordinators, Direct Care Nurse Practitioners, Rapid Response Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses and allied health professionals who provide care through Community Care Access Centres across Ontario.
In addition, ONA has CCAC members who are respiratory therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers and team assistants as well as other highly qualified professionals. They assess their patients’ health-care needs, develop care plans, and deliver health care services for their patients in the home and the community from birth to death.
ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals, as well as more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care, the community, public health, clinics and industry.
