Latest news with #ManitobaNursesUnion
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Nurses vote to 'grey list' Manitoba's largest hospital over safety concerns
Social Sharing Nurses at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre have voted in favour of "grey-listing" the hospital in an effort to discourage frontline workers from taking jobs there amid safety concerns. The Manitoba Nurses Union said in a release Friday afternoon 94 per cent of nurses at the facility voted in favour of the measure, which it says its a reflection of their "collective frustration" over unsafe working conditions. Voting was held over several days this week. The vote result means the union will begin advising nurses not to take jobs at the HSC. It follows a string of recent incidents around the hospital, including the including the sexual assault of five people including two nurses in early July. Union president Darlene Jackson previously told CBC News the union has been mulling the move since 2020. Jackson said in the release safety is non-negotiable, calling the situation "untenable." The union has only grey-listed facilities five times previously, the most recent being the Dauphin Regional Health Centre in 2007. The MNU represents 97 per cent of all unionized nurses in Manitoba, according to its website.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
HSC reports sex assault, bomb threat as nurses vote on safety concern-driven measure
As Health Sciences Centre nurses continued to vote on a measure encouraging colleagues to steer clear of the hospital because of safety concerns, the facility alerted staff about another sexual assault early Friday. Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. HSC officials sent a notice to staff at 11 a.m., reporting a sexual assault — the sixth in recent weeks — had occurred on the campus in the morning. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Manitoba Nurses Union voting on whether to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital is set to close at 4 p.m. Friday. 'HSC Security and the Winnipeg Police Service swiftly responded, with the WPS apprehending the individual and ensuring ongoing care for the survivor. There is no ongoing threat to HSC staff, visitors or patients,' reads the notice, obtained by the Free Press. 'We thank our security team and the WPS for their quick response and HSC staff for their care provided to the survivor.' If the MNU measure passes, members at the hospital will formally urge their nursing colleagues not to accept jobs there until safety demands made to the employer are met. It would not impact the jobs of the 3,000 members currently working at HSC. Meanwhile, HSC officials also notified staff about a second security incident, involving a bomb threat, in a separate notice sent at 12:44 p.m. Thursday. 'An incident occurred involving a patient being transferred from Crisis Response Centre to the HSC Adult Emergency Department. The patient indicated they were in possession of an explosive device. Security and Winnipeg Police Service responded immediately. The patient was assessed and authorities confirmed there was no explosive device found on the person,' the notice read. 'There is no threat to the safety of staff, patients, or visitors.' WPS Const. Pat Saydak confirmed police responded to the bomb threat, and it was quickly resolved without incident. Nobody was placed under arrest, and there was no evidence of a bomb, he said. Saydak said he was still looking into the reported sexual assault and could not yet provide confirmation or details. A union spokesperson said the two incidents highlight the safety risks nurses are forced to deal with. 'The failure to adequately address these issues — whether it's the lack of proper screening or the absence of crucial safety protocols like a Code Black announcement — makes it clear that the situation is not improving,' the spokesperson said in an email to the Free Press. 'Nurses are putting their lives on the line to care for Manitobans, and it's time the employer took concrete action to prioritize their safety.' A Code Black refers to a bomb threat or similar security emergency. The Manitoba Nurses Union criticized the hospital's response to the bomb threat in a social media post Friday, saying the HSC did not alert staff to the threat until after police resolved the incident. 'To our knowledge, the individual gained entry with their possessions, apparently unsearched or unscreened,' the union said. 'This is yet another example of an ineffective and insufficient safety protocol.' The latest incidents come after several assault on women on or around the hospital grounds on July 2. Police said a teenage girl was confronted by a man and assaulted in the area of Elgin Avenue and Sherbrook Street at about 7 p.m. that day. Later, an HSC staff member was assaulted walking near the hospital on Emily Street near McDermot Avenue. Another staff member was assaulted while walking in the hospital tunnels, followed by a sexual assault report on the 600 block of Notre Dame Avenue, police said. Police arrested a 28-year-old man the following day and charged him with five counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual interference, three counts of assault and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. The union moved to grey list the hospital in the wake of the assaults. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The union has resorted to using the measure only five times in its 45-year history. The most recent case was at Dauphin Regional Health Centre in 2007. A union spokesperson said members voted in favour of grey listing at HSC in 2020 amid a number of unresolved grievances. The employer agreed to work on the issues, and the measure was not imposed. The results of Friday's vote are expected to be available immediately after the voting window closes, a spokesperson said. If nurses vote in favour, HSC would be asked to require swipe cards to access hospital tunnels, create an early alert system to warn staff members and patients about security incidents and ensure controlled entrances are staffed and maintained. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
MNU looking to ‘grey list' Health Sciences Centre
Winnipeg Watch Members of the Manitoba Nurses Union are voting on whether to designate the Health Sciences Centre as a grey list workplace due to safety concerns.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
MNU looking ‘grey list' Health Sciences Centre
Winnipeg Watch Members of the Manitoba Nurses Union are voting on whether to designate the Health Sciences Centre as a grey list workplace due to safety concerns.
Winnipeg Free Press
31-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Big campaign health-care promises, not much post-election progress
Opinion When the Manitoba NDP won a majority government in October 2023 on a campaign built almost entirely around fixing health care, they didn't promise miracles. The party and its leader, Wab Kinew, were careful not to claim the crumbling health system they inherited could be transformed overnight. But at the same time, nobody expected things to get worse. According to a new survey by the Manitoba Nurses Union, more than three-quarters of nurses say conditions on the front lines of health care have either deteriorated or stayed the same since the NDP took office. It's a stark reminder that political promises, while good for winning elections, don't necessarily translate into change for burned-out nurses or patients waiting hours in emergency rooms. This is not an opposition talking point. It's what nurses themselves are saying. The union survey paints a bleak picture: a health-care workforce that remains deeply demoralized, exhausted and unconvinced that real change is around the corner. More than half of nurses surveyed report that safety in the workplace has worsened in the past year. Many say they're still working short-staffed more often than not. And few believe the culture inside the system is improving. It's fair to ask: how long should the public — and those working in the trenches of the system — wait before judging the government's progress? No government can undo seven years of deep cuts, closures and centralization in less than two years. The previous PC government decimated parts of the health system, including ERs and surgical capacity. The Tories drove experienced staff out and failed to replenish the pipeline. Their reforms were poorly planned and unevenly executed, causing chaos that still hasn't fully settled. But Wab Kinew and the NDP knew all that when they took over. They knew they were walking into a mess. In fact, they campaigned on it and vowed to clean it up. Now that they're in charge, the responsibility is theirs. So far, though, the improvements have been hard to spot. Wait times in emergency departments are largely unchanged and, in some places, worse than they were a year ago. Primary-care access remains scarce. And while there has been a net increase in nurses working in the system since the NDP took over, it hasn't translated into lower wait times, better access to care or reduced burnout for front-line workers. Manitobans are still waiting — literally — for the core promises of the 2023 election to materialize: shorter waits, more staff and better care. And make no mistake, public patience has limits. The political honeymoon the NDP has enjoyed since taking office is already starting to fray. The MNU survey is just one piece of evidence. Anecdotally, stories continue to pour in of long waits for surgeries, patients being treated in hallways and family doctors in short supply. One problem is that the government hasn't clearly communicated timelines or benchmarks for improvement. What does 'fixing health care' look like? When can patients expect shorter ER waits? How many nurses need to be hired before shifts are fully staffed? The lack of specifics makes it hard to measure progress and easier for the public to lose confidence. The NDP needs to start setting clear, measurable goals. Not vague commitments or long-term visions, but short- and medium-term targets that give patients and front-line workers hope that things are moving in the right direction. That should include timelines for staff recruitment, reductions in wait times and improved working conditions. Let people track the results. It also means the government must move beyond platitudes and planning to actual implementation. If wage issues are still discouraging nurses from picking up extra shifts, fix them. If violence in hospitals is rising, then get serious about security and staff safety. Stop studying the problem and start acting on what front-line workers already know. It's also time to stop blaming the past. Yes, the PCs left a disaster behind. But the NDP ran on the idea that they were the ones to clean it up. If they didn't anticipate how deep the damage went, that's on them. Health care is a long game. But it's not an infinite one. Voters are willing to wait for real improvements, but only if they believe progress is being made. Right now, that belief is fading. The government has time. But not forever. By this time next year, if wait times haven't dropped and nurses still say the workplace is as toxic as it is today, the Kinew government will have a real problem on its hands — and no one left to blame. Because when you promise to fix health care, people expect you to fix it. Not just say you're trying. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
