Public health nurses enter conciliation

Public Health Nurses, Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners at Algoma Public Health Unit are entering into mandatory conciliation with their employer as they seek to negotiate a new collective agreement. 

The 85 Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) members have been without a contract since April 1, 2021. 

"The work of our dedicated and skilled nurses is absolutely vital during the COVID-19 pandemic," says ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN.

In addition to their pandemic work, services the nurses provide include Healthy Babies/Healthy Children visits, lactation consultation services, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, HIV/AIDS rapid testing, affordable birth control, infection control of communicable diseases, immunization clinics, smoking cessation supports, and more. 

Conciliation will begin on Sept. 17.

"Nurses have been through a tremendous amount of ongoing change to their working conditions during the deadly global pandemic, leading to increasing amounts of stress, exhaustion and burnout," says McKenna.