October 15th, 2021

Pay equity ruling a victory against Ford's attempt to underpay women in health care: NDP

Ford took frontline health care heroes to court so for-profit LTC homes could pay them less

QUEEN'S PARK — Ontario NDP Women's Issues critic Jill Andrew (Toronto—St. Paul's) and Labour critic Peggy Sattler (London West) released this statement in response to the Supreme Court of Canada upholding a 2019 tribunal decision in favour of the Pay Equity Act, which the Ford government has been fighting to overturn:

"Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Pay Equity Act is a momentous victory for women in Ontario generally, and specifically for those in the health care industry.

This ruling couldn't have happened without the advocacy of women in the health care field, and the hard work of SEIU and ONA, who have all shone a light on the sexist, discriminatory practices of governments and corporations that undervalue women in the care industry and deny them their due.

It's appalling that Doug Ford took women who are frontline health care workers to court to defend for-profit long-term care homes looking to increase their own profits by paying these women less than they deserve.

A disproportionate number of health care workers are BIPOC women, and health care workers who lost their lives during the pandemic were disproportionately BIPOC.

Yesterday's victory comes at a moment when our health care sector is in crisis, when nurses, PSWs and other health care workers are leaving the field in droves because of terrible working conditions — because the Ford government and the Liberals before them have denied them fair wages and permanent, secure jobs.

Doug Ford and his for-profit nursing home executive buddies must drop all further attempts to deny women in health care the equitable pay they deserve."