Ontario Community, Health and Social Services Workers on Strike to Defend Their Rights and Services They Provide

Striking workers at Lynwood Charlton Centre in Hamilton, May 25, 2026

Since May 25, over 4,500 workers, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) have been on strike across the province. A press release from the union states that "this is a fight for the future of the services they provide, and they're calling on their employers to support this call for funding to shorten job action." The striking workers include social workers, child therapists, addictions counsellors, legal aid staff and other frontline social service workers who work for agencies funded by the provincial government.

The theme of the strike is "Worth Fighting For" and the situation the workers are facing is summed up in the words of Tannis McGinn, Chair of the Child Treatment Divisional Executive and Leader of the Worth Fighting For Working Group: "We are tired and devastated -- seeing every day the impacts that underfunding has on our communities and the people we support. We simply cannot continue to carry a crumbling system on our backs."

Workers at nearly two dozen community organizations are on strike or locked out. A union press release from May 25 states: "Worker demands include retroactive pay for stolen wages by Premier Ford's unconstitutional Bill 124, which capped wage increases at one per cent during a time of skyrocketing cost of living. While many public sector workers have received retroactive wage increases of 6.5 per cent or more since Bill 124 was ruled unconstitutional and repealed, workers in community and social services are still waiting."

"Chronic underfunding," the press release states, "has resulted in people falling through the cracks, and families have struggled to access support. Workers have been forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and many rely on food banks.

"At the same time, funding for community and social services continues to fall, with the Financial Accountability Office highlighting a $1.5 billion budget shortfall for the Ministry of Community and Social Services in 2025/2026."

The union is calling for support on the picket lines. Visit the website worthfightingfor.ca for more information and locations of picket lines.

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This article was published in

Volume 56 Number 37 - May 30, 2026

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/T560372.HTM

Website:  www.cpcml.ca   Email:  editor@cpcml.ca