With horrific cuts in the auto
industry devastating Durham Region, it’s a fine time
to kick the mental health supports out from under
the area’s residents, say unions representing the
workers in the affected communities.
In the wake of massive cuts at the
region’s flagship employer, General Motors, the
Rouge Valley Health System has announced its own
plans to slice the mental health system to ribbons
despite promises not to touch essential services.
The Ontario Public Service Employees
Union and the Ontario Nurses’ Association and say
the timing could not be worse.
“Our members support these workers.
We know families are going to be desperate. Dalton
McGuinty has been asking what he can do to help the
people of Durham Region. We are calling on the
government to step in here, reverse these cuts, and
get this hospital back on course, to help in tough
times,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
“As nurses, we have an obligation to
speak out on behalf of communities to ensure they
have sufficient nursing care to meet their needs,”
said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. The
shuffling of nurses from one community to another
must stop and hospital budgets should not be
balanced through cuts to nurses at a time when this
community needs more not less caring.”
Ajax-Pickering is expected to lose
60 staff, while Centenary will cut another 160,
including union, non-union and management personnel.
Together the cuts represent about 7.5 per cent of
all staff at the two-hospital health facility.
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