More than 3,000 workers avoid an Oct. 3 strike deadline
More than 3,000 Ontario nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapists and other health-care providers have voted to ratify a new three-year contract.
The registered nurses and health professionals work in 10 of Ontario’s 14 Community Care Access Centres (CCAC).
The CCACs and the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) reached a tentative agreement on Sept. 31, 2011. Key issues in negotiations were workload and salaries.
“Whether it be access to speech therapy for a school child or access to home care services that enable a senior to stay at home longer, our case managers, placement coordinators, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals ensure Ontarians have the care they need, when they need it and where they need it,” said ONA president Linda Haslam-Stroud.
The new agreement expires on March 31, 2014. The ONA says that details of the agreement will be released after Oct. 7, 2011, which is when it expects the members will complete the ratification process.
The ONA represents 57,000 front-line registered nurses and health professionals, and 12,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in Ontario communities, hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, industry and clinics.
