More layoffs are coming at St. Mary's Hospital in Sechelt, with 26 cooks and dietary aides facing unemployment.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCHA) has decided to contract out food services to a private company for hospitals in this region. The first lay-off notices are going to food service staff at Vancouver General, University of British Columbia, Lions Gate and Richmond hospitals.
Other facilities, including St. Mary's, will be notified of lay-offs later. VCHA expects to save about $10 million a year with this contracting out. Pam Duffy, chair of the Hospital Employees' Union local for St. Mary's, said the food service workers have been expecting this announcement. The hospital recently laid off its unionized housekeepers and replaced them with lower-paid contract workers.
Three union jobs in supplies are also on the chopping block at St. Mary's since the health authority issued a request for proposals for private companies to provide that service.
Currently, dietary aides at St. Mary's earn $18.10 and cooks $21.32 per hour. Duffy said they are highly experienced and skilled people.
"They have 222 years of cumulative service," said Duffy. In an attempt to save the food service jobs, the Hospital Employees' Union submitted a proposal, including wage and benefit concessions, to the health authority. Duffy said VCHA rejected that proposal because it didn't include money for new equipment.
The health authority has not yet announced which company which will take over the hospital food service.
