WHITEHORSE, October 7, 2024 — The Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) are withdrawing from the Health and Human Resources Steering Committee (HHRC) effective immediately.
Despite an invitation to participate, the HHRC has not afforded the unions proper and equal consideration. Labour’s inclusion in the HHRC is largely symbolic, and the interests of healthcare workers are not being adequately considered. This is not consultation.
“Consultation is a two-way street. Currently, the interest of healthcare workers is being tokenized by the Yukon Government (YG) and the Yukon Hospital Corporation (YHC),” said YEU President Justin Lemphers.
On August 16th, Minister on Health and Social Services, Tracy-Ann McPhee, highlighted the involvement of unions in the development of the Health and Human Resource Strategy (HHRS) while speaking to the media.
The average listener, after hearing Mcphee speak, will think that the unions played a pivotal role in shaping the contents of the Health and Human Resource Strategy (HHRS). In fact, concerns raised by the unions were not incorporated, and union representatives were often not given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully during meetings.
At the latest meeting, the HHRC provided an annual report for Committee endorsement and release to the public. This report represents an ongoing lack of employee engagement and the continued reliance on precarious for-profit staffing agencies to deliver healthcare in the Yukon; all of which the unions will not endorse.
“It is essential that the voices of healthcare workers are heard and respected in any strategy that affects their work and the quality of care provided, and we cannot continue to participate in a process where our contributions are not genuinely considered,” said Kathleen Chapman, PIPSC YHC Group President.
The HHRC, as it stands, is being chaired by representatives from the employer's side - one from the Yukon Hospital Corporation and one from the Yukon government. Unions are invited at the co-chairs' discretion, primarily to observe rather than actively participate, creating the appearance of union involvement without providing meaningful opportunities for input which is misleading to both the media and the public.
Union leadership refuses to let the will of our members be tokenized. Hundreds of workers represented by YEU and PIPSC are employed by YHC and YG. They deserve better.
Currently, YHC and the YG are relying on for-profit staffing agencies to address crisis level staffing shortages in the healthcare system. For example, a full-time unionized X-ray technician earns a maximum pay of $47/hour. Yet, for-profit staffing agencies are paid $120/hour to staff the same position for the very same work.
Workers deserve better. The unions believe that improving wages, enhancing work-life balance, and increasing the number of full-time unionized positions are essential to retaining local healthcare workers and attracting healthcare workers from other jurisdictions.
The HHRC is not looking towards sustainable solutions that are inclusive of healthcare worker concerns and insights, rather they are focused on maintaining broken solutions in a broken system.
Both YEU and PIPSC are willing to work with the government in collaboration to achieve the best outcome for healthcare workers here in the Yukon. To achieve that, the unions must first have a genuine seat at the table.
Our members work tirelessly every day to keep the healthcare system here in the Yukon running, they continue to deserve better. Until the HHRC provides a genuine platform for their voices to be heard, the unions will no longer continue to lend it our credibility and perpetuate this performative process.