Front-line workers walk off job at QEII to protests privatization of support services

“Without housekeeping, we’ve got a really dirty hospital. Without maintenance workers, we’ve got a hospital falling apart,” says Ogden. “If we don’t have dietary [staff], we have people going hungry. If we don’t have our store people, and our MDR (Medical Device Reporting) people which clean the instruments, how can they do surgeries? It’s all a trickle effect, we are all one big unit.”

When asked about the decision to move these services into the private sector, Ogden says these workers will be earning a much lower wage, despite the fact that “they don’t make a lot of money as it is.” Ogden says laundry, housekeeping and food service workers make between 17 and 20 dollars an hour.

Ruth Normandeau, who works in laundry services at the QEII, says a transition to the public sector is not an appealing prospect.

“Well the realistic [fact] is that it’s not very high pay, it’s not as much pay as I’m getting now,” says Normandeau. “Plus my benefits will be gone, my pension will be gone, I’ve been here for 15 years, that’s a long time.”

Thomas Berry, a nurse at the QEII who joined the march, echoed the idea that moving these jobs into the private sector will lead to wage cuts, which could lead to people leaving the industry or the province entirely.

“In a town like Grande Prairie you have people working jobs that they get paid let’s say $19, $20 an hour, I don’t know their exact wage,” says Berry. “But you cut them and turn them to privatized jobs to pay them $15 an hour, so who’s going to stay around and work for less, when you can go work at Tim Horton’s for better money?”

Berry adds that these workers do essential work that often entails cleaning up bodily fluids, and that it will be hard to get and retain employees to do these jobs without benefits or good pay.

Ogden says having these workers face wage cuts, especially in the midst of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the crash in the price of oil, is not beneficial to anyone.

“You know they’ve got families to support, and a lot of people now are single family earners because their husbands are out of work in the oilfield,” says Ogden. “So these people need these jobs, they need that money.”

This was one of the protests that sprung up across Alberta this morning, and Alberta Health Services issued a press release in response, saying this was an illegal strike.

The release said AHS has reached out ot the employees, asking them to return to work, while also filing an application to the Labour Relations Board to formally ask the board to direct these employees back to work.

All AHS sites remained open, and non-union staff were brought in to fill the gaps and ensure patient care was maintained, though there were some impacts to non-emergency surgeries and ambulatory care clinics. AHS says they will be contacting anyone affected by the postponements of these services.

Alberta’s Minister of Finance, and GP-Wapiti MLA, Travis Toews also responded to the wildcat strike, slamming the strikes by saying the government’s primary concern is “ensuring the health and wellbeing of patients, which has been put at risk this morning.”

“Those involved in this illegal action will be held accountable,” said Toews. ““My expectation is that all unions respect the bargaining process, stop putting Albertans’ safety at risk and abide by the law.”

He adds in his statement that the province spends 42% of its budget on health-care, which he says has increased 17% since 2015.

“Health spending is at record highs and is expected to be $20.9 billion this year – this does not include $769 million earmarked specifically for COVID-19.”

by Liam Verster

Front-line workers walk off job at QEII to protests privatization of support services

Pro Tips