Assaulted and injured in sickening numbers, CUPE health care workers demand action on workplace violence

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the National Day of Mourning, CUPE hospital and long-term care workers called for action from the provincial and federal governments to protect them from violence, which has worsened since the pandemic.

“Canada’s high tolerance of violence against women soaks inevitably into our institutions, like hospitals and long-term care facilities”, said Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions-CUPE. “Combine this with the serious understaffing that fuels anger towards staff, and this workforce is vulnerable and victimized. Staff have been killed, some have been assaulted such that they will never work again, thousands are physically and sexually assaulted every year. This makes for an unsafe and toxic working environment.”

Ontario cut hospital funding by two per cent in real terms in 2025 and plans cuts of more than two per cent in 2026. CUPE is calling on the provincial government to fund hospitals at their real costs and to make investments in adding staff and beds, to reduce waiting times.

“We call on the province to fund our health facilities at their real costs and to add staff and beds. We ask for legislation that provides for nurse-patient ratios, to ensure that care is of high quality and there are enough staff. We also call on the federal government to amend the Canadian Criminal Code to make violence against health care workers on the job a more serious offence for the purpose of sentencing,” said Michael Hurley, President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions-CUPE.

April 28 has been designated as the National Day of Mourning for workers killed and injured on the job in Canada. Seven health care workers died of COVID-19 after healthcare facilities and the provincial government reversed its position that COVID was an airborne virus. CUPE had to go to court to force proper protective equipment for the healthcare workers.

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