LONDON – About 1,000 staff at Community Living agencies in London, Chatham Kent,
Elgin, and Middlesex-Strathroy are now on strike after not reaching a deal
through contract negotiations
“We really wanted to avoid strikes but the government has not come forward
with the necessary funding,” Denise Sands, president of OPSEU local 144. “The
government’s been able to get away with under-funding services for people with
developmental disabilities because most people just don’t realize it’s
happening.
“We hope these strikes will raise public awareness of the government’s lack
of commitment to the people we support and hope everyone will join us in calling
on the Premier to make services for the people we support a priority.”
Employers agree the biggest problem facing developmental services is low
wages. Staff are leaving the profession for equivalent positions in other fields
because the pay is 25-30 percent more. Agencies can’t get enough qualified
staff. Developmental services are in crisis and it’s people with developmental
disabilities that are suffering the most.
“The last thing we want to be doing is withholding services,” said Ms. Sands.
“The problem is, this government has proven we have to do something drastic to
raise awareness of their lack of commitment to the people we support. Right now
all the McGuinty government is doing is making promises for help three years
from now when they may not even be the government.”
Several more agencies around the province will be in a strike countdown
beginning next week. Sixteen other agencies across Ontario also have strong
strike votes.
“We want to get back to work. Everyone agrees on the problem – it’s up to the
government to fix it,” said Ms. Sands |
