Hospital workers in Chatham have been picketing in front of the hospital over some not getting temporary pandemic pay.
Eligible front line employees and essential support workers fighting COVID-19 will soon get their extra $4 an hour but some at the Chatham hospital will not. The province is promising the pay will start going out to the employers the week of June 15 and eligible workers should get paid shortly afterwards.
Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls said that not everyone at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance is covered and he feels badly for those who were left off the list.
"If someone was left off the list, I feel badly for them but unfortunately, we will not be adding to the list," Nicholls tells Blackburn News.
The MPP said the province consulted with employers, associations, and unions to determine who would get the pay. He added more than 375,000 eligible workers across Ontario will get the pandemic pay.
"This has been a very complex issue," Nicholls said.
CKHA CEO Lori Marshall said the government is still working through the guidelines.
"We continue to advocate for equity across the organization for all of our staff and we're still waiting for specific government direction on how to best implement," said Marshall.
Marshall added that everyone at CKHA has been incredible throughout this pandemic and the hospital values their contributions.
"They play a valuable role in supporting patients and families in our community and it is impossible for me to distinguish between individuals," she said.
The union representing local hospital workers, the Christian Labour Association of Canada Local 303, raised a red flag last month saying that more than 100 of the 400 CKHA workers won't be getting the pandemic pay announced by the province at the end of April.
“We are happy that the government has recognized the value of front-line healthcare staff during this pandemic,” says Mary Ellen Alward, CLAC representative. “But the exclusion of many integral, front-line hospital staff is confusing and extremely disappointing. Many, if not all, of those who are not currently included to receive the additional pay have direct patient care as part of their regular duties.”
CLAC Local 303 has submitted a list of workers who were overlooked.
The government will also be providing monthly lump-sum payments of $250 for four months to eligible front line workers who work over 100 hours per month. The pandemic pay will be effective for 16 weeks, from April 24, 2020 until August 13, 2020.
The pandemic pay will go to workers in health care, long term care, social services, and housing including emergency and homeless shelters.
The province said the temporary pandemic pay is aimed at helping front line staff who are experiencing severe challenges and are at heightened risk during the COVID-19 outbreak. It's a targeted program designed to support employees who work in congregate care settings or primarily with vulnerable populations, where maintaining physical distancing is difficult or not possible.