The president of a union representing more 60,000 healthcare and community service workers in Ontario is calling foul.
SEIU Healthcare president Sharleen Stewart says the recently announced bonuses paid to Quinte Health Care senior management are just another example of health care dollars being spent in the wrong places and it’s a sign of disrespect.
She says thousands of front line hospital workers are still waiting for the promised Pandemic Pay, which gives an increase of $4 an hour to select front line healthcare workers, which was announced on April 25 and will come to an end in August.
Sharleen Stewart, President of SEIU Healthcare.
In addition to still waiting for the pay increase for those who are in direct risk as they fight COVID-19, Stewart notes hundreds of essential front line workers have been excluded from the Pandemic Pay, including pharmacy and lab technicians, diagnostic imaging staff, occupational therapy assistants and physiotherapy assistants and certain administrative staff.
Stewart says this is an annual thing and other health care groups will be making similar announcements in the coming days.
She says the group will continue to call on the provincial government to repeal Bill 124 and eliminate the 1% compensation cap on public sector workers.
Stewart says if management isn’t having their compensation capped, why are the front line workers.
It was announced following QHC’s Annual General Meeting that $46,991 in bonuses will be paid to senior management at QHC with President and CEO Mary Clare Egberts receiving $16,308 on top of her $351,244 annual salary. Chief of Staff Dr. Colin MacPherson will get a bonus of $8,698 added to his $187,350 salary while VPs Carol Smith Romeril, Jeff Hohenkerk and Brad Harrington will see $5,753 added to their $206,505 salaries.
CLARIFICATION: Positioning the annual pay-for-performance compensation for our most senior executive team as an announced “bonus” is not accurate. In 2010 the province mandated that a portion of hospital executive pay be tied to performance goals under the Excellent Care for All Act. Executive compensation – made up of salaries and pay-for-performance – has been capped since August of 2018.
ABOVE CLARIFICATION WAS SUBMITTED BY QUINTE HEALTH CARE
