Today, the MGEU addressed the Minister of Health’s effort to downplay the impact on health workers of his plan to force a merger of the home care and health care aide workforce.
“The reality is that once all home care workers and health care aides are forced into the same bargaining unit, the RHAs will be able to move them from facility to facility and between facilities and community home care work,” said Sheila Gordon, MGEU Director of Negotiations. “And the Minister’s own consultant report admits that the purpose of merging bargaining units is to make it easier for employers to move health workers as they see fit.”
When he announced a regulation to force home care workers and health care aides into the same bargaining unit, the Minister used his KPMG report to justify the move. That consultant report says merging bargaining units will enhance “the effective use and mobility of healthcare workers” (page 169).
“There should be no question about the government’s real agenda here - to enable employers to move home care workers and heath care aides among hospitals, personal care homes, and community assignments,” said MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “MGEU has a responsibility to be up-front and clear with our members about what these changes mean for their work lives and for patient care. Doing anything less would be a disservice to our members.”
MGEU has a proven track record of negotiating the strongest collective agreements in health care, including protections against unreasonable reassignment of health workers.
“We now know what the
government is trying to impose on health workers,” said Gawronsky. “Our job is
shine a light on their real agenda, and continue to bargain the strongest
possible contract protections for members.”