OPSEU: Ford government continues to shirk responsibility for underfunding and stolen wages, as striking community and social workers escalate province-wide action

Brockville – OPSEU/SEFPO is welcoming a “Value For Money Audit” request into why more than $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for social services is being funneled through three private companies.

The NDP is calling for the audit in response to a report released by OPSEU/SEFPO last week that questioned why more than $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for social services is being funneled through three private companies.

The union is now pouring through 1,400 pages of data about one of the companies, Accerta, just received through a freedom of information request. This includes documents that show the Premier was directly involved in decisions around funds flowing through the company.

This comes in the midst of a strike by some 4,000 community, health, and social services workers, centered around chronic underfunding of their work.

“We don’t know how much money stays with these companies, but we do know that not nearly enough ‘trickles down’ to the front lines,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. “Hiding a problem doesn’t make it go away. We are going to keep digging until we get answers – and keep fighting until these workers get what they are owed.”

Meanwhile, striking workers are taking their fight directly to Premier Ford and PC MPPs, making it clear the government can’t hide from its responsibility despite breaking early for an extended summer vacation. OPSEU/SEFPO members have held rallies, sit-ins and other actions at PC MPP offices across Ontario this week.

Their message was clear: while the legislature may have risen for the summer, the Ford government cannot continue to evade accountability or walk away from its responsibility to fund services in our communities and to deliver funding for wages stolen under Bill 124.

Since the strike began, workers say they have repeatedly been met with the same talking points from Premier Ford and PC MPPs: false claims of increased investment in services and a complete disregard for their role in funding these services. Many MPPs refused to speak to striking workers, even if they were constituents, saying they won’t talk until the dispute is over.

“Families of people we support are reaching out to the government and hearing the same out-of-touch talking points,” said Tannis McGinn, Chair of the OPSEU/SEFPO Child Treatment Divisional Executive. “We’ve heard their frustration of this government’s refusal to take accountability. These MPPs are citing their ‘investments’ to people who are facing the realities of underfunding – struggling to access services, waiting, or seeing programs cut. Talk about out of touch.”

At rallies outside of MPP offices, striking workers questioned why MPPs voted on a whopping 41 per cent wage increase for themselves last year – amounting to at least 41 thousand dollars a year – while ignoring the calls for wage justice from frontline workers in their community who are struggling to make ends meet.

“The Ford government cannot continue to shirk their responsibility,” added Hornick. “Workers, families, communities are all demanding accountability and action from this government. We will continue to put pressure on this government until they deliver funding that communities need and what workers are owed.”

Workers will continue escalating pressure until the government acts.