Unifor health care and social services workers from across Ontario gathered at Queen\u2019s Park this week for a legislative lobby from May 25-28, demanding urgent action to strengthen public health care, address staffing shortages and stop the expansion of privatized care.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealth care workers are holding this system together under impossible conditions,\u201d said Unifor National President Lana Payne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur members came to Queen\u2019s Park to demand a strong, fully public health care system that puts patients and workers before privatization and profit. Governments must stop forcing workers and communities to carry the burden of underfunding and political inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frontline workers met directly with elected officials to raise concerns about burnout, underfunding, unsafe workloads, recruitment and retention challenges, and the growing pressure facing Ontario\u2019s health care system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrontline workers know exactly what is happening inside Ontario\u2019s health care system because they live it every day,\u201d said Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWorkers are exhausted, patients are waiting longer for care and communities are feeling the impacts of chronic underfunding and privatization. Our members came to Queen\u2019s Park to demand action and to make sure workers\u2019 voices are heard directly inside the halls of power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Workers participating in the lobby represented a wide range of sectors, including hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes, home care, emergency medical services, and community-based social services.<\/p>\n
Throughout the week, members called on the provincial government to increase stable core funding for hospitals and public services, improve staffing and retention strategies, phase out reliance on private staffing agencies, and stop the expansion of private, for-profit clinics and services.<\/p>\n
The lobby also highlighted growing concerns around workloads, worker burnout, and the pressures created by staffing shortages across the province.<\/p>\n
The lobby week is part of Unifor\u2019s broader Care Can’t Wait campaign<\/a> to defend and strengthen public health care and social services in Ontario.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unifor has also recently raised concerns about layoffs and restructuring in hospitals, the growing use of private staffing agencies, and changes related to Ontario\u2019s PSW registry<\/a> and the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA).<\/p>\n The union says worker-led advocacy and direct engagement with elected officials remain critical as pressures on Ontario\u2019s health care system continue to intensify.<\/p>\n The lobby week culminated in a major rally alongside the Ontario Health Coalition and allies from across the province on May 28.\u00a0<\/p>\n