CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE June 8, 2020
The union representing support workers, orderlies and administrative staff at health care facilities throughout the Outaouais held a protest in Shawville outside the Pontiac Community Hospital on Monday afternoon, decrying the limiting of . . .
their vacation days to two weeks due to COVID-19 concerns.
The local protest comes on the heels of another demonstration that was held in Gatineau on Friday. About half a dozen union members turned up for Monday’s event, using noise makers and waving flags. An invitation to the event stated that masks were mandatory.
“They’re giving only two weeks, some of them they’re allowed four weeks,” said the union’s Pontiac Vice President Anick Dumouchel. “We don’t understand, we don’t have any COVID here, so we don’t understand why we’re not allowed to have holidays like we’re supposed to. We are working for them, so we’d like to have our vacation.”
Speaking in French, union President Josée McMillan said that they were asking authorities for three weeks instead of two.
Dumouchel said that they didn’t know how many people would show up, especially since they are typically short-staffed at the best of times.
“With the shortage of workers it’s hard for the people to come out and protest about this,” she said.
