Nurses at Hastings and Prince Edward Public Health Ratify New Tentative Agreement

BELLEVILLE, ON, September 30, 2023 – After more than six weeks on strike, 50 public health nurses who work at Hastings and Prince Edward (HPE) Public Health reached a tentative agreement with their employer.

The nurses – who are represented by the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) – ratified the agreement this evening and will return to work on Monday morning.

“This is a victory for the residents of these communities and for our brave and determined nurses who refused to back down. They showed the HPE Board of Health that they are strong and united in their demand for respect and fairness,” notes ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “Nurses took to their communities in Belleville, Hastings, Prince Edward, Marmora and Lake, Trenton, and Quinte to talk to residents about their concerns. The public was overwhelmingly sympathetic to our nurses, and we are very grateful for their support.”

The tentative agreement – which was ratified by the ONA members – must be ratified by the employer before details are released. The agreement includes wage increases of more than two per cent in each year of a three-year agreement, which the nurses had demanded since the beginning of bargaining.

Adds Ariss, “Our nurses were determined to see the residents well-served and will return on Monday to care for the 200,000 residents. ONA had raised concerns about the transparency of the Board of Health associated with employee negotiations in light of the recent resignations of two Board of Health members. We are hopeful that the employer will use this experience to be more open and forthcoming with Board of Health members and the community they serve.”

ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

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