Hamilton hospital workers rally over lack of funding, warn of layoffs

Hamilton’s hospital unions are warning tonight of a significant threat to health care in the city. They say conditions are already bad for patients.

And in at least one of the city’s major hospitals, things could get a lot worse.

The CUPE unions representing hospital workers say St. Joseph’s Healthcare hospital is a scary place to be following years of budget cuts. Now they say the provincial government is holding back money the hospital needs and patients are going to be feeling the pain.

Today’s focus was on St. Joseph’s Healthcare as 70 or 80 hospital workers and supporters rallied outside. They’re fighting a decision by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government to hold the hospital’s increase in funding this year to two per cent.

They say two per cent doesn’t keep up with costs and will mean layoffs.

“The two per cent is not helping the system as it’s standing now because the rising cost of medical supplies, bandages and bedding — everything’s gone up,” said Kevin Cook, CUPE representative.

“It’s just going to make it worse. There’s going to be more beds in the hallways, there’s going to be more patients waiting and dying waiting for treatment — whether it is ER treatment, whether it is in the OR being cancelled. It’s terrifying,” said Jillian Watt, CUPE Local 7800.

The unions say cutbacks have already taken a toll on workers and patient care.

“The workload keeps increasing. The burnout is at an all-time high,” said Rick Rigby, CUPE Local 786.

“When we have increased workloads, higher nursing to patient ratios, this creates a dangerous situation for our patients. How do we care for our patients when we’re eliminating positions? We should be expanding.”

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St. Joseph’s Healthcare said in a statement it’s facing “difficult but necessary decisions” that will mean eliminating “a total of 62 positions.” But says “they will not reduce access to services or impact our ability to deliver exceptional care.”

A spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the province is putting “a record $91.5 billion” into healthcare this year, and ensuring “all hospitals have the resources and support they need.”

“Layoffs don’t make health care more efficient, they make it dangerous. When health care workers are laid off, patients pay the price,” said Watt.

People who work in the hospital are concerned.

“It’s already bad now. People waiting hours and waiting in hallways. I can’t even imagine how much worse it’s going to get,” said one protestor.

“It’s pretty terrible to be honest with you. So with the cuts coming, I can only imagine how bad it’s going to be,” said another protestor.

Hamilton politicians were also out today lining up with the protestors.

“Could it get any crueler? How in this province, the province that is as rich as this, Ontario, are we cutting beds to provide care to newborn babies, to preemies,” said Sandy Shaw, Hamilton MPP.

“And we have to start saying the quiet part out loud which is that this government is starving our public system so that they can quietly ramp up privatization and say well, there’s nothing else that we could do,” said Robin Lennox, Hamilton Centre MPP.

“People are waiting in the ER for 10, 12, 24 hours for care. The last thing that should be happening is cuts if people are dying waiting for health care,” said Watt.

The demonstration here today was one in a series of rallies CUPE is holding across the province to demand more funding for hospitals.

They say the hospitals need a funding increase of six per cent, not two per cent, just to keep things level the way they are now.

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