Sit-in at Saint-Hyacinthe Long-Term Care Centre Decries Staff Shortage and Inadequate Personal Protective EquipmentDuring the night of December 1, health care workers scheduled to work in one of the units at Quebec's largest residential and long-term care centre (CHSLD), Hôtel-Dieu-de-Saint-Hyacinthe's Residential Centre, refused to work because their working conditions were unsafe. Workers on the night shift in a COVID-19 zone organized a sit-in when they found out that there were only three nurses (including two auxiliaries) for 64 patients. Through their sit-in, the workers also protested against infection control measures which they consider insufficient, including shabby and undersized personal protective equipment, such as gloves that do not cover wrists, old gowns full of holes and visors that break into pieces, rendering the workers even more vulnerable to contracting the virus. Brigitte Pétrie, on behalf of the Montérégie-East Care Professionals Union, denounced the situation at the CHSLD:
Management at the University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS) was dismissive in its response to the workers' sit-in and concerns. It wrote in an email: "The nursing staff shortage is a provincial issue and the situation is no different in our institution. However, due to recent developments on site, we are currently reviewing the staffing required for the Hôtel-Dieu-de-Saint-Hyacinthe Residential Centre's Parc unit." Management also stated that it was unaware that protective equipment is of poor quality and outdated, a response which workers reject since they had complained about the equipment several times in the weeks before the sit-in. (Photo: FIQ)
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
"A sit-in is
always a sign that workers are fed up. It's always a cry from the
heart. When it comes to this, it means that for a long time now
employees have been pointing out that there's a shortage of staff
during the night. That night, workers on the evening shift [the shift
before the night shift] had been running around without any time for
supper. Even the residents had not finished supper until 8:00 pm because
the shift was so understaffed. Health care professionals are worried
about their health, about transmitting COVID-19 to patients, about
taking it home to their families. On top of that, we have outdated
equipment."