A dispute between management at Hastings County and the union representing County childcare could affect the future of 13 staff members.
COVID-19 has closed schools and that in turn led to the childcare workers having no work.
Chief Administering Officer of the County Jim Pine said the County thought they had a Memorandum of Agreement on Friday night to provide wages for staff members until September.
The President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Warren Thomas said the County was “hamfisted” in dealing with early childhood educators working in before and after school programs when it said it would continue to pay the workers for one month if they agreed to being placed on unpaid Declared Emergency Leave afterward for the remainder of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Thomas adds that the County was pressuring employees to do something that would be harmful to them.
Pine says the county has a responsibility to its staff and taxpayers and commented on the union’s rejection of its offer by saying “this morning I was reminded that no good deed goes unpunished.”
Pine adds that the County is trying to help its workers but doesn’t understand why the deal wasn’t signed.
The workers received layoff pay for 30 days which expires today, now the County will plan its next steps shortly to figure out the status of its workers and their compensation moving forward. If there is no deal in place, workers will not be paid.
