Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.

Weyburn: CUPE health workers are praising the governments decision to build a laundry in the new long term care facility in Weyburn.

Dirty laundry never looked so good, laughs CUPE local president Debbie Hubick, on hearing the news that the new Tatawga View facility will include a laundry.

For weeks, the Sun Country Health Region has been considering plans to contract-out laundry services at Tatawga View. Instead of doing the laundry on site, the region was looking at options to truck the soiled laundry to Regina or other centres. Although the original blueprint included a laundry facility, subsequent drawings omitted it.

The contracting-out proposal concerned CUPE health workers. Our laundry department at the Souris Valley Extended Care Centre not only provides employment, it provides high quality, cost-effective laundry services to the people of this region, explains Hubick. We are not prepared to see our public health care system privatized, or jobs that pay a decent wage shipped down the road in a laundry truck.

They delivered that message directly to Premier Calvert when he visited Weyburn a few weeks ago. They also met with Health Minister Nilson.

Hubick says it appears the government got the message because late last week they were told the new facility would include a laundry.

We are really pleased that laundry services will continue to be part of our public health care system, says Hubick. It shows us this government is prepared to walk the talk when it comes to keeping our health system in public hands!

- 30 -

For more information call:
Debbie Hubick at 842-1559 (w) or 848-0014 (h)