Community News

HEALTH CARE WORKERS RALLY IN OSHAWA TO PROTEST BILL

KEITH GILLIGAN kgilligan@ durhamregion.com

Members of CUPE'S Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and supporters gathered in Oshawa at Lakeridge Health Oshawa hospital to protest Bill 124.

Gathered at a nearby park close to the hospital, nearly 75 people came out to make their voices heard and urged health workers to take a stand and vote in the next provincial election.

Bill 124, which caps pay increases to public sector workers at one per cent, has drawn the ire of healthcare workers and union representatives who say the bill needs to be repealed.

"You know what is the real shame? It's that we're having to stand here in the first place," said Eric Witvoet, president of CUPE Local 145.

"The reason we're gathered here today, brothers and sisters and others, friends and colleagues, it's to rally for the repeal of a bill that is not just impacting us standing here, but everyone we work with and every single relative and family member and friend that we have who works in health care.

"I'm embarrassed, and I'm ashamed that we have to be here to plead, to beg, like little Oliver Twist at the table in the workhouse. 'Please, Dougie, may we have some more,'" he added.

He's hoping that those who vote "can vote for a completely different colour" on June 2.

"Brothers and sisters, and friends and others, on June 2, you have an obligation. It's not a request. You have a responsibility. It's not an ask. You must get out and vote for a different colour and tell Doug Ford to go pee up a rope," Witvoet said.

Mary Fowler, president of the ETFO local in Durham Region, said during

the pandemic, CUPE workers cared about the work they were doing.

"Like you, we are public sector workers. And, like you, we are living under the reality of Bill 124. We're in our third year of the contract where we have a one per cent cap on negotiated increases," Fowler said. "Like you, it is no surprise that all of this is happening on the backs of the femaledominated profession. It is no mistake that this is happening."

Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of CUPE, spoke about the sacrifice made by health-care workers during the pandemic.

"At the height of the pandemic, you were told there was a virus that was invading our hospitals and our communities called COVID. Nobody knew what the risks were on you, but you showed up; you came

to work," Richer said.

"You showed up and you stayed. You went home, you were petrified to bring the virus home to your children, to your loved ones, to your parents. You got changed in your garage. You took a shower, talked to your children from your bedroom door, so they couldn't catch the virus," Richer added.

More than 25,000 hospital and health-care workers in Ontario contracted COVID, she noted.

"Doug Ford has called you health-care heroes. But, in fact, at the very same time, he has failed to put his money where his mouth is," said Yolanda Mcclean, secretary-treasurer of CUPE Ontario.

Sara Labelle, NDP candidate for Whitby, said workers are tired and exhausted, yet continue to come to work.

"The definition of a hero is someone willing to sacri

fice,"said Labelle. "A hero is someone who signs up to put their life at risk and that's not what we signed up to do. To call us heroes at a time when we are coming into work to do the job that we care to do and yet no one provides the proper recognition is really a slap in the face.

"We have sacrificed time with our children. We have sacrificed time with our partners. We have slept in separate rooms. We have lived in separate areas of our houses in order to protect our family members from the pandemic," she added.

Heather Nugent, president of CUPE Local 1909, also made comments at the rally, describing the mental toll the pandemic has had on health-care workers.

"We were known as health care heroes. Now, we feel like health care zeroes."

NEWS

en-ca

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281603834074095

Metroland Media Group Ltd.