Nurses and PSWs among 15 job cuts at Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Resident care and working conditions will suffer as the Royal Ottawa Place long-term care home plans to eliminate 15 positions almost exclusively affecting nurses and personal support workers, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees 942.

ROP houses 64 residents with mental illness, physical limitations or other complex needs.

“The majority of residents at the Royal Ottawa Place are not independent, they rely heavily on staff for personal support and medical care,” said Amir Sigarchi, president of CUPE 942. “They need help with basic tasks such as eating, bathing, toileting, walking, and so much more. Taking away staff will reduce the quality of their lives and increase the risks of negative incidents such as falls and fractures. The working conditions will also suffer, which will lead to higher rates of injuries, burnout and ultimately attrition.”

The layoffs call into question the government’s stated promise to “fix LTC,” Sigarchi said, as it will jeopardize the progress made in recent years. The union represents 83 nurses and PSWs at the facility, with 14 of them being laid off alongside a clerical worker.

“We are very disappointed as we have fought for many years to win improvements in staffing,” Sigarchi said. “But now the employer is saying they must make cutbacks due to a budget deficit. It’s a shame because the residents have very complex needs, and to make cuts will deny them the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The adjoining Royal Ottawa Hospital is laying off 5 additional workers represented by CUPE 942. The cutbacks are part of a wave of health care cuts across the province including at hospitals in Hamilton, Niagara and North Bay.

CUPE is blaming the provincial government for insufficient funding. In October, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projected a reduction in 9,000 nursing and PSW positions by 2027-28 based on the government’s spending plan.

"The provincial government must fund the vital mental health services that these residents need,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), which represents 45,000 staff at long-term care homes and hospitals including the Royal Ottawa Place.

“It is unacceptable that at a time when there is a profound shortage of long-term residential care services for people with mental illnesses in Ottawa, that the Ontario government would cut these vital resources. We are calling on the government to properly fund the Royal Ottawa Hospital so that these cuts can be rescinded.”

The union will be holding a demonstration outside the Royal Ottawa Place on Monday at 11 a.m.

Who: Health care workers represented by CUPE 942
Amir Sigarchi, president of CUPE 942
Michael Hurley, president of Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE)
Sharon Richer, secretary treasurer of OCHU-CUPE

What: CUPE 942 rally to protest job cuts

Where: Outside Royal Ottawa Health Group, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa

When: 11 a.m. on Monday, January 12

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