During National Nursing Week, CUPE celebrates the incredible work and dedication of nursing team members across Canada, including the tens of thousands of nurses represented by CUPE.
This week, we pay tribute to the skill, compassion, resilience, professionalism and leadership of nurses, and we call on governments at every level to do the same, by adopting policies that respect and support nurses and all front-line health care workers.
Our health care system depends on the commitment and hard work of registered practical nurses, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. But Canada is facing a crisis in hiring and retaining nurses.
To address this crisis, governments must pay higher wages and offer the pensions and benefits nurses deserve. They must ensure healthier and safer workplaces, free from harassment and discrimination. And they must reverse the trends of underfunding and understaffing that lead to unmanageable workloads, staff burnout and increasing violence in hospitals and other health care settings.
Improvements are needed. But, governments must stop using private options, like for-profit nursing agencies, which cost more and deliver inferior services, to try to solve the problems. Instead, improvements can and must be made within our public and universal health care system.
- For more information about public solutions in health care, visit our campaign page
Public solutions deliver better results and higher quality of care for less money. With public solutions our health care system can grow to meet the needs of CUPE members, our families and our communities.
As CUPE members, we will continue to fight for better and expanded public services that meet the health care needs of the public and provide good jobs for nurses and all health care workers. We must ensure minimum standards and hours of care in long-term care facilities across Canada. We must also recognize the full scope of practice, and make sure all members of the health care team are recognized.
Happy National Nursing week! We thank you for your hard work and dedication. Together we will continue to campaign for quality public health care for all!