February 25, 2003 Kingston Whig Standard Radiologists behind winning bid for stand-alone MRI clinic

G&M awaiting OHA action
Enterprise-Bulletin (Collingwood)
Tue 25 Feb 2003
Page: 3
Section: News
Byline: Raymond Bowe
Source: Enterprise-Bulletin
 

COLLINGWOOD -- The head of the Collingwood hospital's human resources department is waiting to hear from the Ontario Hospital Association before taking any disciplinary action against workers who staged what the Ontario Labour Relations Board deemed an illegal strike two weeks ago.

Dave Coward, director of human resources at the General & Marine Hospital, said he had some outstanding questions he wanted to ask before deciding how to deal with the two dozen laboratory and diagnostics workers who held an 'emergency day of action' recently.

Coward said the OHA were looking at dealing with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union centrally, because walk-outs were staged across the province.

"We're just a small player in this," Coward said.

Workers who walked out included lab technicians, as well as diagnostic imaging employees in departments such as X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, CT scan, nuclear medicine and bone densitometry.

"The reason we went out was because the OHA was treating each hospital differently," Len Fligg, local union chapter president, said regarding the OHA's bargaining tactics.

One of the reasons for the protest was to focus on one round of negotiations across the board, said Fligg.

From that standpoint, "it was an extremely successful protest," said Fligg.

He said no disciplinary action has been taken against G&M employees, and noted hospitals in London and Barrie chose not to punish their employees who walked out.

Fligg said one of the union's sticking points was receiving binding arbitration.

Arbitration begins March 7.

Edition: Final
Story Type: News
Length: 244 words