Unions representing Ontario’s health care workers have launched a campaign that draws attention to the impact the pandemic has had on women in the profession.
It’s called “Respect Us. Protect Us. Pay Us.”
Service Employees International Union’s Sharleen Stewart says they want more than just hollow words from the Ford government.
Stewart says they looking for the $4 an hour pandemic pay increase to be made permanent for all healthcare workers and the minimum wage for personal support workers to start at $25 an hour.
She stresses, “Don’t call us champions. Pay us. Don’t call us heroes. Pay us. Don’t call us friends. Pay us.”
Sharon Richer is with the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and says, “We have a right to demand that our safety be a priority including taking every precaution to protect the workforce. Something that is simply not happening.”
The unions also want adequate supplies of Personal Protection Equipment available in the workplace.
