Ontario nurses launch constitutional challenge over lack of right to strike
The Ontario Nurses’ Association says the law blocks even limited job action and leaves arbitration to decide contracts without fixing staffing and wage problems.
- The Ontario Nurses' Association launched a constitutional challenge on Monday against legislation banning job action, with president Erin Ariss stating the law strips professionals of fundamental constitutional rights.
- Ariss identified last year's arbitration-imposed contract as the tipping point, arguing the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act forces employers to sidestep meaningful collective bargaining and reinforce the status quo on wages and staffing.
- ONA lawyer Danielle Bisnar argued that Ontario is an anomaly, stating the notion that strikes compromise patient care is "just not true" because many jurisdictions allow job action while maintaining essential care.
- The Ontario Hospital Association urged the union to abandon what it called a "reckless challenge," with chief of communications Kirk LeMessurier warning that any labour disruption in hospitals puts patients at risk.
- Health Minister Sylvia Jones declined to comment on the legal challenge but emphasized the government values nurses, while nurses in British Columbia were conducting a strike vote on Monday.
20 Articles
20 Articles
The Ontario Nurses Association is suing unconstitutionally against a law that prohibits them from striking during the negotiation process, an initiative that hospitals consider to be extremely concerning.
TORONTO — The Ontario Nurses Association is bringing an action for unconstitutionality against a law that prohibits them from engaging in any form of strike during the negotiation process, an initiative that hospitals consider to be of great concern. Nurses argue that the Hospital Labour Dispute Arbitration Act is one of the [...]
Ontario nurses launch constitutional challenge for right to strike
The Ontario Nurses' Association is launching a constitutional challenge of a law that prevents them from taking any form of job action during the bargaining process, a move hospitals are calling deeply troubling.
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