Etobicoke, ON – Personal support workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees are demanding the Ontario government fix a “fundamentally flawed” regulatory body that denies them rights and protections granted to other health care workers.

PSWs held a rally to register their protest outside Doug Ford’s constituency office on PSW Day, which fell on May 19th this year.

This action is in response to a rising trend among health care employers, making it mandatory for PSWs to join the Health and Supportive Care Oversight Authority (HSCPOA) as a condition for employment.

The Ford government created HSCPOA in 2021 as a regulatory body for PSWs and other “support workers.” The agency was intended to act as a professional registry like the College of Nurses of Ontario, and other regulatory bodies governing the practice of health care professionals.

However, workers are upset that it leaves them exposed to disciplinary actions including revocation of their license without guaranteeing due process. CUPE pointed out several flaws in marked contrast to other regulatory bodies including:

  • Lack of license protection: the HSCPOA director can arbitrarily revoke a PSW’s license to practice. This undermines basic due process rights, which are provided to all other regulated health care workers.
  • No right to appeal: HSCPOA does not provide PSWs with the right to appeal decisions – even in cases where a PSW may have her license revoked. Other health care professionals (like nurses) have the right to appeal.
  • Lack of representation: HSCPOA’s oversight committee currently doesn’t have any PSW representation, meaning decisions about the profession will be made without the input of workers. The CNO has nurses on its board.

“We are calling on the government to fix HSCPOA because PSWs deserve the same rights as everyone else,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. “This is a predominantly female, disproportionately racialized workforce that is heavily exploited and treated with blatant disrespect. If Ontario wants to address the PSW shortage, the government must guarantee them basic rights as other workers, in addition to fair compensation and decent working conditions.”

“Without representation on the council for PSWs, all Doug Ford has done is create a new obstacle for providing meaningful support for workers,” added Debra Maxfield, chairperson of CUPE’s Healthcare Workers Coordinating Committee (HCWCC). “Creating tiered criteria is pushing out experienced professionals and confining new people in the field to a system of uncertain and incompetent oversight. We need the government to do better for PSWs.”

CUPE is calling on Ontario residents to send letters to their MPPs to demand the government fix the registry.

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For more information, contact:

Bill Chalupiak

Regional Communications Officer

416-707-1401

[email protected]

 

:tt/cope491

 

Category: Solidarity