­(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Matt Weverink)­(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Matt Weverink)
Chatham

Public Nurses Wait For Response

Reps for Chatham-Kent Public Health nurses say strike action remains a possibility if a new agreement with employers isn't eventually reached.

The Ontario Nurses Association says staff remain at the conciliation table, waiting for the next offer from the other side.

Provincial Vice President Vicki McKenna says they don't have a timeline for any additional labour action.

"Unless they give any indication that there's no where else to go, then we'll stay there as long as we need to. Now is the time to get this finished," she says.

McKenna adds strike action is still a possibility, because public health nurses, unlike long-term and hospital nurses, aren't considered essential service workers. But McKenna says public nurses still play a huge role in healthcare.

"These are the folks that monitor infectious disease, these are the health promotion people. They maintain the wellness of our communities and are dedicated to clinics, newborn babies and their mothers."

Nurses at the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit have been without a contract since the end of 2013. McKenna adds any changes in labour or strike action will be made public as decisions are made.

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