After more than six weeks on strike, 50 public health nurses who work at Hastings and Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health reached a tentative agreement with their employer.
The nurses – who are represented by the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) – ratified the agreement this evening and will return to work on Monday morning.
“This is a victory for the residents of these communities and for our brave and determined nurses who refused to back down. They showed the HPE Board of Health that they are strong and united in their demand for respect and fairness,” noted ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “Nurses took to their communities in Belleville, Hastings, Prince Edward, Marmora and Lake, Trenton, and Quinte to talk to residents about their concerns. The public was overwhelmingly sympathetic to our nurses, and we are very grateful for their support.”
The tentative agreement – which was ratified by the ONA members – must be ratified by the employer before details are released. The agreement includes wage increases of more than two per cent in each year of a three-year agreement, which the nurses had demanded since the beginning of bargaining.
ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.
THE ABOVE IS A RELEASE FROM THD ONTARIO NURSES’ ASSOCIATION
