Union: Health care workers deserve respect, not scam emails

ST. JOHN’S, NL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canadian Union of Public Employees Newfoundland and Labrador (CUPE NL) is deeply concerned by NL Health’s use of a fake promise for an extra paid leave day during a cybersecurity test when health care workers are already stretched thin and continuously denied their leave requests.

“These workers are tired, burned out, and desperate for time off. As the employer, NL Health knows that and chose to exploit that feeling anyway.”

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“While I understand that cybersecurity awareness is important, especially in a healthcare setting, targeting a benefit like paid time off is disgusting,” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier. “These workers are tired, burned out, and desperate for time off. As the employer, NL Health knows that and chose to exploit that feeling anyway.”

Burnout is not a new issue in health care settings however, it has reached new heights during the CorCare roll out, which workers have reported as stressful, full of issues, and causing increased workloads.

“The phishing email specifically targeted the workers who put countless hours into the CorCare rollout. Vacation and leave were denied, family time was lost due to the overtime required. While NL Health’s apology was appreciated, I am still unsure how such a massive lapse in judgement occurred in the first place. How does anyone, in good conscience, design a cybersecurity test for their own employees while knowing how much they missed for this new system?” finished Hillier.

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