FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hamilton, ON – Workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 7800 will rally on Friday, December 13, calling on the provincial government to fund desperately needed frontline staffing positions at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).
HHS is projecting a $112 million deficit for 2024-25 as the province has failed to fully cover the hospital’s operating costs, prompting management to implement a hiring freeze for 1,500 positions at a time when HHS needs to add hundreds of staff just to keep up with patient volumes.
Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), said the Ford government was failing to cover the true costs of delivering health care services in Ontario as hospitals across the province stagger under a cumulative $2 billion deficit.
“The government has been playing hide-and-seek with hospital funding. The funding always flows through in small doses, rather than a guaranteed, long-term commitment that would allow hospitals to focus on the needs of their patients, without planning cutbacks,” he said. “The consequences of this coy funding policy are clearly visible in Hamilton: there are 1,500 staffing vacancies at HHS alone; ER patients are waiting an average of 21 hours to get a hospital bed; the hallways are full of patients at the best of times, and nearly 70 per cent of staff are on the verge of burnout.”
Jillian Watt, president of CUPE 7800, which represents about 4,700 staff at HHS, said it was surreal that workers and community allies had to rally against cuts when the hospital clearly needs to add staff.
She pointed to the latest provincial data showing that HHS had a 85 per cent failure rate in admitting ER patients on time due to the staffing crisis, pointing out the immense pain and suffering it caused, particularly for elderly patients.
“The government must step up and fund HHS, period. We need to ensure we can retain and recruit staff to serve patients in our community. Anything less would be unacceptable,” she said.
Who: Frontline healthcare workers at Hamilton Health Sciences led by Jillian Watt, president of CUPE 7800 and Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE)
What: Health care workers rally calling on provincial government to fund services at HHS
Where: Hamilton General Hospital, 237 Barton St E, Hamilton, ON
When: 11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 13
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For more information, contact:
Zee Noorsumar
CUPE Communications znoorsumar@cupe.ca 647-995-9859
