Friday, March 11, 2022

CLAC Responds to Ontario Government Retention Bonus for Nurses

The province announced a $5,000 retention bonus for full-time nurses; permanent wage adjustments for all full-time healthcare workers is needed

The province has announced a $5,000 retention bonus for full-time nurses. Part-time nurses will receive a bonus that is prorated. The payments will be made by employers and will be issued in two installments on March 31, 2022, and September 1, 2022.

CLAC has confirmed that this bonus will be paid to RNs, RPNs, and nurse practitioners in hospitals, long term care, and retirement homes, and in home and community care. Nurses in a management or supervisory role who were redeployed to a direct patient care role will also qualify for the bonus.

We’re grateful that hardworking nurses will now experience some monetary recognition for their dedication and persistence during these last two years of pandemic life.

However, CLAC continues to campaign for long term, sustained, and permanent wage adjustments for all front-line healthcare workers. For too long, wages in long term care and retirement homes, homecare, and hospitals have been suppressed by inadequate funding, and by a broken system of essential service contract bargaining. As a result, wages and the value of work has been significantly eroded relative to the ever-increasing cost of living.

In addition, there is a current and future staffing shortage of epic proportion. Recent positive changes to the hours of hands-on care in long term care, the promise of 30,000 new long term care beds, and the significant migration of workers from the health sector during the pandemic has impacted every healthcare workplace. To seriously address the staffing shortage, the province must intervene with wage adjustments that will counteract these labour market pressures and that will serve both to attract and retain the workforce needed to meet patient care needs.

As the election looms, CLAC is working hard to advance the concerns and the wisdom of its members to all parties. You can read about just some of CLAC’s efforts in this prebudget submission, and in this contribution to the regulation consultation for the Fixing Long-term Care Act, 2021.

We take pride in being a strong, insightful, and persistent advocate for healthcare heroes, and we’re grateful for the continued opportunity to serve our members.

CLAC Responds to Ontario Government Retention Bonus for Nurses

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