A group of nurses, health-care professionals, community members and supporters rallied on Friday afternoon who are fighting for equal ratios and wages for those working in long-term care homes.
Members of the Ontario Nurses' Association picketed at 37 locations across the province on Friday, including locally at Extendicare Southwood Lakes on North Talbot Road.
More than 3,000 nurses, personal support workers, and guest attendants represented by ONA will be heading into bargaining with their corporate employers starting on Monday.
ONA members picketed to pressure their employers to put resident care ahead of their profits, as nurses and health-care professionals are fighting for staffing ratios to improve care, and equal wages with hospitals to retain experienced staff in the long-term care sector.
Irene Aguiar, Registered Nurse and member of the Central Negotiating Team for long-term care homes, says there aren't enough nurses to take care of residents.
"That means that they're not getting the care that they deserve, that we're not being able to assess them properly because of lack of staffing. So, that's what we're fighting for, we're fighting for resident care priority. But we need our nurses to stay with long-term care in order for us to assess the residents."
Aguiar says those in long-term care deserve better.
"Our residents need the care, they deserve the respect, they deserve the dignity, they deserve to be treated like they're human beings, they deserve to be assessed and to decrease behaviours. Without the staff, we can't do that."
Kristine Malott, Registered Nurse and local coordinator of Ontario Nurses' Association Local 8, says there are two critical concerns.
"Understaffing and unequal pay to other RN's such as the hospital with comparable work. We need more staff, we need equal pay to retain and recruit experienced MP's [Medical Practitioner], RPN's [Registered Practical Nurse], RN's [Registered Nurse], PSW's [Personal Support Workers], health-care workers to provide the best care for our residents who are most vulnerable."
ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.