Ford government offers Ontario nurses a $5K ‘retention’ bonus
Ontario nurses are being offered a $5,000 retention" bonus by Premier Doug Ford's government - half before the June 2 election and half afterwards - in a move health care unions call a pay-as-you-vote gimmick."
Health Minister Christine Elliott said the money is intended as a reward for nurses who stayed on the front lines" during the COVID-19 pandemic and to encourage them to stay in the profession amid a shortage of staff.
This payment will help retain nurses across the health sector and stabilize the current nursing workforce during this critical time," Elliott added in a statement.
But unions representing nurses and other health-care workers warn the payouts risk further demoralizing the workforce by providing one-time payments to some, but not all" and again urged Ford to end wage caps under his Bill 124 austerity legislation.
Absent a real plan to confront Ontario's chronic staffing shortage, nurses, personal support workers and other dedicated health professionals see these short-term promises for what they are: pay-as-you-vote gimmicks," the Ontario Nurses' Association, SEIU Healthcare, Canadian Union of Public Employees and Unifor said in a joint letter to Ford.
While retaining nurses is vitally important, there are shortages in many health-care occupations and professions, and it is appropriate to extend any retention bonuses to all."
Elliott, who on Friday confirmed she won't seek re-election in June, to made the announcement in Belleville, away from the media spotlight at Queen's Park.
Under her offer, $763 million has been earmarked to provide the lump-sum payments to eligible full-time nurses, with amounts pro-rated for those working part-time or casually.
Nurses must be employed as of March 31 to get the first payment and on Sept. 1 for the second.
The money will go to nurses in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, home and community care, primary care, mental health and addictions, emergency services, the corrections and youth justice systems, and other community-based and developmental services. Nurses in management roles deployed to direct patient care also qualify.
Wage increases for many public sector workers, including nurses, have been capped at one per cent annually under Bill 124.
What health-care workers want is to be able to bargain wages that reflect their contribution and the significant inflation they are facing," said Michael Hurley of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Almost every health-care worker in the province continues to work under emergency orders that supersede their rights under their collective agreement," said Katha Fortier of Unifor, which also represents journalists at the Toronto Star.
They can be subjected to schedule changes, cancelled vacation and reassignment at a moment's notice."
The government has previously given personal support workers in nursing homes, for example, a $3 hourly bonus to stay in their jobs amid high turnover and illness rates during COVID-19.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1