24/06/02

HEU has launched another 30-second spot in our province-wide TV ad campaign against privatization. Called One Mistake, the ad looks at the role of skilled, experienced health care support workers—an important part of the patient care team—whose jobs are threatened by the Campbell government’s privatization agenda.

Watch the second HEU TV ad "One Mistake" (requires software that can play .mpg files such as Windows Media Player or Real One Player)

Click here to download Real Player

“Patients’ lives depend on keeping the hospital germ free,” says housekeeper and HEU member Werlina Ragaza, who starred in the ad along with laundry worker Ronnie Nicolasora, food service worker Balwinder Dhaliwal, and LPN patient porter Barb Cowley.

Operating room nurse Caroline Schoen tells British Columbians that she depends on the skills of experience of health support workers everyday. “Patients do too,” she says.

But, under the Campbell government’s privatization scheme, private corporations bidding for contracts in Campbell’s privatization frenzy want to fire these important support workers and 20,000 others, and replace them with minimum wage workers.

privatization: the wrong answer for patients

better ideas for health care:

  • the provincial government should suspend the privatization of health care services right now, before more mistakes are made
  • an arm's length, independent investigation into the impact of privatization on patient care is urgently required
  • health care reforms can't be made behind closed doors the province's health authority boards must hold their meetings in public and consult with the community and front-line health care workers before making changes