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"This strike may be over but the crisis that afflicts our home care system is not." — Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President
St. Catharines (03 Dec. 2015) — The strike by members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) against CarePartners Niagara is over. The union local and the employer have agreed to proceed to mediation, backed by binding arbitration, to resolve all outstanding issues.
OPSEU/NUPGE members to return to work after eight months on strike
Members of Local 294 will return to work starting December 14, eight months after the strike began.
“I am so proud of my co-workers and the strength they showed during this long strike,” said OPSEU Local 294 President Erin Warman. “The support of the community was fantastic, and we can now return to our patients and give them the care they need. Home care is a vital and growing part of our province’s health care system, and much work remains to be done to ensure patients receive the high quality care they deserve.”
Strike over but government needs to address problems in the home care system
“I am proud of the members of Local 294 and the courage and determination they showed during this long strike,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “Our members can now go back to the work they love, which is helping people who need medical care.
Thomas continued, “This strike may be over but the crisis that afflicts our home care system is not. The government’s goal is to shift more and more of the services once provided in hospitals to the home. But the home care sector is increasingly dominated by for-profit companies. The province must return to first principles, which means our health care system belongs in the public sector. For-profit companies only drain scarce resources away from patients.”
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE