Health Coalition urges solidarity for health and climate at global labour forum

The Canadian Health Coalition’s chairperson recounted the health care crisis in Canada at the International Trade Union Confederation’s congress in Melbourne this month.

Pauline Worsfold, RN, told the hundreds of delegates about the challenges with short supplies and understaffing at hospitals during the pandemic.

She called for solidarity to end the pandemic, reminding delegates, “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Worsfold also issued a warning about the global push for increased privatization of public services by governments under the guise of responding to the pandemic and ensuing health care crisis.

“Governments are pushing toward increased privatization to for-profit health service providers,” she said, “but it’s a false solution – because profit doesn’t care.”

The coalition’s Vice-President, Siobhan Vipond, chaired a panel on labour action to prevent climate change and the need for a just transition to help workers affected by government policies.

Both Pauline Worsfold and Siobhan Vipond were delegates to the ITUC representing the Canadian Labour Congress, a member of the Canadian Health Coalition.

More than 1,000 trade unionists representing nearly 130 countries gathered in Australia for the global workers’ parliament under the banner of, “A new Social Contract for Recovery and Resilience.”