Local 97 – CDHA Nurses Letter from President Jessome on Disciplinary Action

Today, the NSGEU received word that management at Capital Health has decided to take the unprecedented and excessive step of issuing two-day suspensions to all nurses who were involved in the job action of April 1, 2014. Nurses were fulfilling a professional obligation when they protested Bill 37: advocating on behalf of their patients.

We are as outraged as all affected nurses and their colleagues surely are, and plan to grieve each and every disciplinary action handed out to our members.

At a time that our health care system is already struggling to provide quality care to patients because of understaffing, we are appalled that Capital Health has chosen to further jeopardize their fragile relationship with their staff.

We are also very concerned that Capital Health’s actions will only serve to further undermine the quality of care you are able to deliver to patients by taking almost 200 nurses away from the bedside.

Their heavy-handed punishment is far in excess of the disciplinary letters that were issued during Bill 68. We cannot let this type of bullying behaviour stand, so we will be fighting this through the best avenue available to us: grievances.

We are so disappointed that nurses are being punished for standing up for what is right, and are committed to standing with you throughout this process.

In Solidarity,

Joan Jessome

President, NSGEU