OPSEU fights back against Wynne attack on hospitals

TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2016 /CNW/ -  "Kathleen Wynne's attack on our hospitals has got to stop, and it's got to stop now."

That's the word from OPSEU President (Warren) Smokey Thomas as Ontario health care workers take to the streets and airwaves this week to protest Liberal government cuts and privatization that are destroying public hospitals.

"Public health care is bleeding from a thousand cuts, and it's Kathleen Wynne who's wielding the knife," said Thomas. "She's cut hospital budgets every year since she's been Premier, and what she can't cut she is privatizing.

"She has no mandate to do this," he said. "Nobody voted to destroy public health care."

OPSEU's "Public is Better" campaign features radio ads, online advertising, and an animated video that tells what's happening to hospitals today. OPSEU members will also be joining the Ontario Health Coalition at rallies across the province to mark the pre-budget hearings of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

"Our message to this government, and to all MPPs, is that enough is enough," said Sara Labelle, Chair of the Hospital Professionals Division of OPSEU. "This provincial budget must include a major transfusion of cash for our public hospitals. Our hospitals are the beating heart of public health care in every community in this province, and if they're not strong, medicare as we've known it is dead."

OPSEU represents some 18,000 hospital professionals and a total of 37,000 workers across the health care system. For more information on the OPSEU campaign, visit www.publicisbetter.ca.

Click here for the video.

Click here for the radio ad.

SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)

Video with caption: "Video: What Happened to Healthcare?". Video available at: https://youtu.be/BDSgEQeBrtQ

Audio with caption: ""Public is Better" radio ad.". Audio available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2016/01/18/20160118_C6364_AUDIO_EN_600390.mp3

Sara Labelle [phone]