THUNDER BAY – Striking public health nurses insist their labour disruption affects more than just the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit public health nurses, who have been on the picket lines for more than two weeks, held an information rally outside the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Friday.
While they did not stop vehicles from entering or exiting the hospital property, public health nurse Shelly Aretz said the nurses want people to be aware of how the health unit nurses work within the health care system.
“Everyone knows the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Aertz said. “We’re here to let the public know beyond the outside of 999 Balmoral, that the strike impacts us all.”
The nurses, who have claimed to be the lowest paid public health nurses in Ontario, walked off the job on Oct. 16 after conciliation talks between the union and health unit broke down. Their previous contract expired nearly two years ago on Dec. 31, 2016.
A number of health unit programs and services have either been delayed or postponed while the strike continues.
“We do a lot of work to prevent infections and chronic disease,” said Aretz, who works in the street nursing program.
“We’re great value for money. We’re taxpayer funded and prevention saves taxpayers a lot of money. The hospital is a very expensive place for people to be seeking care and we know that our hospital is frequently at surge capacity and we are not out there preventing infections right now.”
The Ontario Nurses Association, which represents the health unit nurses, has an online form where people can send messages of support for those on the picket lines.
Aretz said it has been encouraging to have community support rally behind them.
“We are hearing support from nurses and the public across this country and even the United States,” Aretz said. “I’m just hearing from people that they miss us and they want us out doing our jobs.”
The union earlier this week submitted a counter offer to a previous proposal made by the health unit.
In a statement released later in the afternoon, health unit officials said they were "deeply disappointed" in that offer from the union but expressed optimism a deal could still be reached.
"Throughout the negotiation process, Thunder Bay District Health Unit has remained committed to reaching an agreement that is fair and reasonable while recognizing the financial constraints of publicly funded organizations," health unit director of corporate services Lance Dyll said in a statement.
"Following the latest monetary proposal from ONA, it is clear that both parties have not come closer, but in fact, are now further apart with increased demands compared to the proposal presented by ONA at the end of mediation."
Dyll said the health unit is focused on trying to minimize disruptions to the public and are taking every measure necessary to ensure the health and well-being of the people in the communities they serve.
