Add your name to demand a fair deal for Healthcare workers in Hay River!
Healthcare workers in Hay River deserve a fair deal. Let's remind our elected leaders of their role in collective bargaining, and how they can help improve recruitment and retention and maintain healthcare infrastructure for Hay River residents.
Add your name and signature to the letter below, which will be sent to the Ministers of Health and Finance, as well as the Members of the Legislative Assembly, to let them know they need to do more to ensure consistent and continuous healthcare for all Hay River residents!
LETTER TO MINISTERS AND MLAs:
Dear Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, and MLAs of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly,
I am writing you today as a concerned citizen as well as an employee of the HRHSSA about the state of the health services in our community. As you are well aware, health services are an essential component of any community, and the quality of healthcare that residents receive can have a significant impact on their overall well-being.
I am particularly worried about the struggle to maintain health services in our community. Many of our residents are struggling to access safe, quality, continuous care that they need, either due to long wait times, shortage of medical professionals or overall staffing shortages at the health center that impedes access to timely care. This is unacceptable, and I believe that urgent action must be taken to address this issue on many different levels.
First, I would urge you to take the necessary steps to help and improve our retention and recruitment of staff to provide care by aiding in getting an appropriate settlement for the collective agreement currently under negotiation between HRHSSA and the UNW/PSAC. Currently my coworkers and I feel that our employer has consistently failed to provide us with the resources and support that we need to do our jobs safely and effectively, resulting in high stress and frustration.
Furthermore, I believe that the employer’s lack of respect for our work and contributions has led to high staff turnover, increased sick time and inability to provide high quality care that our residents deserve. I urge you to increase funding for the HRHSSA for many areas in the collective agreement and programming, to aid in ensuring that we have the staff, resources and support necessary to provide quality care for the residents of our community.
Secondly, I believe that our employer must be held accountable for their actions or lack thereof and that they must be held to a higher standard of respect and support for their employees and in turn, the community at large. Without the respect for their employees there is no culture of respect or teamwork, and toxicity within the workplace which ultimately leads to turnover, low morale and drive and reduced efficiency.
I feel that as our elected representatives, you each have a responsibility to address these concerns and work to improve the lives of the employees of HRHSSA and of our community members in Hay River. I hope that you will take the concerns of a failing health system seriously and take the necessary measures to address them.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to your support on this issue,