Workers with Sudbury Hospital Services, which cleans linens and laundry for Health Sciences North, were outside Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault's office Wednesday afternoon to fight for their jobs.
Thirty-nine workers with the laundry service are expected to lose their jobs on April 1, 2017, when Health Sciences North will switch to a new laundry provider based in Hamilton.
Michael Hurley, the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, which bargains collective agreements on behalf of Canadian Union of Public Employee (CUPE) hospital workers, said representatives with CUPE Local 2841 in Sudbury met with Health Sciences North's board of directors to discuss the hospital's decision to drop the local laundry contract.
According to Hurley, Health Sciences North's board members said the province forced the hospital to sign on with Hamilton-based Mohawk Shared Services for its new laundry contract.
“The province is telling them if you don't close the laundry we'll subtract half a million a year from your budget,” he said.
But when reached for comment a spokesperson for Health Sciences North put it differently.
“HSN, just like all hospitals in Ontario, must meet performance standards which include financial benchmarks. To achieve efficiencies, the province is recommending hospitals partner together through shared service organizations to bulk-purchase various goods and services,” said Health Sciences North spokesperson Dan Lessard in an email to Sudbury.com.
“The higher volumes lead to better pricing and therefore savings for hospitals. HSN has now selected a shared service organization – Mohawk - for laundry services. The hospital will achieve $500,000 in savings from this new shared service model.”
Following the rally outside his office Thibeault made the following statement:
"My heart goes out to all the individuals and families who are directly impacted by the changes made by the hospital board to Sudbury Hospital Services. As the MPP for Sudbury, I recognize the important role Health Sciences North plays as an employer in our community. It brings talent to our area and helps these individuals put down roots, often increasing local economic activity as a result. And I would urge all of our hospitals to keep that in mind as they manage their own budgets.
"Although the Ministry of Health funds public hospitals through the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), it is important to stress that hospitals are independent corporations run by their boards of directors. As such, Health Sciences North is responsible for the governance and day-to-day management of its facilities, including laundry services. However, it is disappointing that these decisions are negatively impacting jobs and families in our community of Sudbury."
