Addressing precarious work priority in bargaining: Union
Sixteen call-centre workers working at Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill, Ont., are members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) following a vote on Feb. 13.
Since Mackenzie Health outsourced operation of its 24-hour call centre about 10 years ago, the new members are employees of multinational Sodexo, although they wear Mackenzie Health insignia, said the union.
“The new workers will join about 1,000 other OPSEU members, including two bargaining units of paramedical staff,” said Jill McIllwraith, chair of OPSEU’s hospital support division.
When the call centre was outsourced, Sodexo made drastic cuts to employee compensation, according to OPSEU.
“Of the 16 workers, only five are full-time. The other 11 are precarious workers, whether fixed-term, casual or on-call,” said McIllwraith. “These are all issues that OPSEU will address when it comes to negotiating a collective agreement.”
Mackenzie Health provides health care services through the Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and operates urgent care centres in Oak Ridges and Maple, as well as a facility in Barrie, all in Ontario.
