SUNDRE — Staff at the Myron Thompson Health Centre staged an information picket on Friday.
Andrew Wilson, a maintenance worker at the facility, formerly the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre, organized the event after someone pitched the idea following several wildcat strikes earlier last week that were prompted by the UCP government’s recent announcement to cut 11,000 Alberta Health Services positions.
However, the information picket was not to be confused with a strike action and services at the hospital were not hampered in the slightest, Wilson told The Albertan during an interview along Centre Street immediately west of the hospital.
More than half a dozen staff with signs reading messages such as "Patients over Profits" and "Honk for Housekeepers" stood along the walking path in solidarity for public health care in Alberta.
“Everybody who is here is either on their day off, is on their lunch break, or is done their shift for the day,” said Wilson.
“Today is an info picket just to let AHS and the UCP government know that we’re not OK with the planned privatization of laundry, housekeeping, nutrition food services and laboratory services.”
He said about 12-15 jobs at the Myron Thompson Health Centre could stand to be impacted.
Asked whether he was familiar with the B.C. government’s failed attempt to privatize portions of that province’s public health-care system, he said, “Yes, I have. Privatization, it looks good for the first initial contract that they sign with the private provider. So, you might save money in the first year.”
However, private enterprises are primarily preoccupied with making money, he said.
“So, you have to do all of the same work that our public workers are doing now, plus you have to build profit in for shareholders. The mandate of a public system is just to perform your services — still trying to maintain a budget and do the good work that all of our workers do — but with no thought to skimping or cutting corners to produce profit.”
Having to factor profits into the health-care equation leaves Wilson and other workers concerned their wages and benefits will embark on a race to the bottom, that is even if they can get re-hired in the private sector.
“Absolutely. And the workers that are being targetted right now are some of the lowest paid jobs at AHS, so I’m not sure how we’re going to save money by cutting the lowest paid workers in our health-care system,” he said, as many passing motorists honked horns in support.
“We’ve had a couple people walk by, who’ve said ‘I’m glad that you guys are out here — keep fighting for your jobs, keep fighting for rural health care,'” he said.
“And we’ve had lots of people drive by and give us honks.”
Asked what words he would, given the chance, offer to Health Minister Tyler Shandro, Wilson said, “I’d like to tell him to talk to our neighbouring provinces that have tried privatization, and just ask them how it worked out.”
Wilson also expressed skepticism about the sincerity of the banner mounted on the hospital.
“We have the sign on the front of the hospital that says Heroes Work Here. But apparently, that excludes kitchen, housekeeping, laundry and some of the other general support services.”
