Thousands Petition Government to Halt Privatization of Laundry Services

More than 12,000 British Columbians lobbied a petition on Thursday morning, calling on the Provincial Government to halt the Interior Health Authority’s (IHA) plan to privatize hospital laundry services in 11 communities.

A total of 12,423 Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) laundry workers presented their petition to NDP MLAs Michelle Mungall, Jennifer Rice, and opposition health critic Judy Darcy on the steps of the legislature, prior to being tabled during question period.

According to the union, contracting out hospital laundry would result in the loss of 175 family-supporting jobs and might potentially lead to the removal of the vital service in some communities all together.

Along with growing public support, city councils in Nelson, Kamloops, and Vernon have also passed motions to protect jobs and hospital laundry in their communities.

Moreover, HEU secretary-business manager, Jennifer Whiteside, has called on the IHA to reconsider its privatization plan and make the estimated $10 million investment over 10 years to upgrade and replace any of the aging equipment.

"Even Interior Health officials have repeatedly stated that our laundry workers are doing an excellent job and that the current in-house service is run efficiently," said Whiteside. "We believe Interior communities are worth the investment."

Last fall, the IHA announced that it would explore the privatization of hospital laundry at five major hospitals in Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops, Penticton and Nelson, along with services in six smaller communities.

In a conversation with Communications Officer Michaela Swan from Interior Health, she reiterated that there has been no decision made at this time regarding contracting out hospital laundry.

The request for solutions is still open, but will close later in May. Interior Health will be reviewing their options at this time and a decision will be made later this summer.