Laundry services are being lost at Vernon Jubilee Hospital despite opposition.
The Interior Health Authority decided Tuesday to contract out laundry, which will impact 93 full-time equivalent positions at five facilities in the Interior. There are 17 employees at VJH.
“A clear case exists to proceed with outsourcing laundry services at our major facilities,” said Erwin Malzer, board chairperson, in a release.
“With an anticipated savings of about $35 million over the life of the contract, we will be able to increase our investment in facilities and equipment to support direct patient care, including necessary upgrades and expansions of our emergency departments and operating rooms.”
Members of the Hospital Employees Union gathered in front of VJH at 7 a.m. Monday to protest the possibility of privatization.
“They are hard-working people who do them and it’s an efficient service,” said said Wes Fitzsimmons, union spokesperson in Vernon.
Fitzsimmons says the jobs are well-paying and those wages support families and local economies.
Nearly 13,000 residents signed a petition opposing contracting out and Interior municipalities, including Vernon, raised concerns with the government and IHA about privatizing laundry.
A recent study by a university economist didn’t find a valid business case for contracting out the work, after reviewing IHA documents.
“The service we provide in-house is a good service,” said Fitzsimmons.
HEU will now guide laid off workers through the labour relations process.
“It’s astounding to us that the IHA has demonstrated such disregard for the quality of service our members work so hard to provide, and the economic well-being of the communities in which they work,” said Jennifer Whiteside, HEU secretary-business manager.
The health authority has inked a 20-year agreement with Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service to provide the majority of linen and laundry services through a centralized Kelowna-based facility, supported by regional distribution centres.
“Interior Health laundry employees have delivered high quality service to our patients for many years, and I understand they may feel disappointed with this decision,” said Malzer.
“While there will be job displacement within our sites, we believe the commitment by Ecotex to build a facility in the Southern Interior and hire residents from our region will offset some of the impact felt. We will also work with the HEU to support laundry employees as they consider options for the future, whether that is through accessing vacancies or retraining.”
