Disgri By MIKE JOHNSTON Free Press Staff With negotiations for a new contract scheduled to begin Mar- ch 26, niembers of Whit- by Psychiatrie Hospital local 331 of the Ontario Public Service Em- ployees Union weren't holding back any pun- ches last Thursday night at a special meeting convened for the workers to air their zoncerns. "We are not asking ýor more money, oui' nain concern this year s for better working *onditions," said Fred Jpshaw, Vice-President tnd Treasurer of OP- EU. Mr. Upshaw was on nandi to hear complaints fromn the Workers and to relate the findings of a study, indicating the stress factor involved in their jobs. "The public beieves you are lucky to work at Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital and it's time we told the public and the government the true facts, the way it really la, " he said. Mr. Upshaw said the sui'vey, conducted in six institutions in Ontario by the University of Columbia in New York, showed workers ex- perience stress, exhaustion, burnout, depression, anxiety and hopelessness in aIl the facilities. Institutions in the Attack Duha negional Police and the Ontario Humane Society are looking for two dogs that attacked two dwarf rabbits Thursday night. A police spokesman said the dogs, a black labrador and a golden labrador attacked the rabbits in a barn belonging to Tom Led- die of 170 Myrtle Rd. E. in Whitby, killing one and maiming the other. WFIITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARC!!1 19, 1986, PAGE 9 untled Psych staff air their grevances study inlude Syl Apps, a juvenile detention cen- ter in Oakville; the Nor- th Bay Psychiatrie Hospital; the Oak Ridge prison for the criminally insane; the Huronia Regional Center; the Don Jail and the Niagara Detention Cen- ter. Mr'. Upshaw said the study concluded that workers entered their place of work with hopes of "solving the problems of the world but it doesn't take long to find out the reality of the job." He said that poor working conditions, stress and understaffing were stopping workers from doing the jobs they were trained to do. He accused management at the Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital (WPH) of con- tributing the problems of workers. "Every year they sit DISTINCrIVE WEDDING1 INVITATIONS Sceci vuur %%.ddîng mfvi(tt ,ns Ir.m our compkmte Ctalogue F or voua Keepsakv Lt)py of yoUr Inviation in iuxurluu% Ëoêmd in their Ivory Tower and give the worker a whole new concept to deal with. Every year it's 'gear into a new plan'. "But they forget to get input frorn the front lunes. There is no comn- munication flow." He said the front line workers of ten find themselves in the mid- die, implementing the ideas of management while trying to care for the patients. "Ideas which sometimes don't do a damn for the patients," he said. He said that due to patient involvements, 17 working days were bast due to wrist injurys; il days due to hand in- juries; neck injuries led to 16 days lost and back injuries led to 7 days bast. AIl within the mon- th of July last year. "It's tume to stop allowing yourselves to be treated as second hand citizens," he told the enthusiastic audien- ce adding that days lost at work due to patient involvement are not compensated for. Workers who attended the meeting then proceeded to voice their complaints, and the complaints were many. In the Occupational Therapy Department workers said there have been thi'ee vacancies for the last three months and they complained they were being accused of shoddy work when the real problem was that they were shorthanded. Workers also comn- plained about their poor salaries saying they can get $7,000 more a year in Toronto with much lesa stress involved. A worker froni the out patient and admitting department said she is only there to "gate keep" . She said her job is to patch and pack. Get the patients in, move them along and get them out. "The government wants people out of the hospital, " she said. Workers also cited shift work as having a' direct correlation to stress. Some workers com- plained that due to shif t work, some days off oc- cured in the middle of the week when moat people are working which has led to a higher incidence of ex- cessivedi'inking. Mr. Upshaw said he was also amare of the deplorable conditions of the buildings at WPH; cooks working without proper utensils or ingredients; gardeners who could not get machinery repairs or replaced; engineers with no, supplies or proper tools and clerical workers who could not obtain proper office' supplies. He told the workers a demonstration has been set for March 24 froni noon to 2 p.m. at Queen's Park. "This demonstration la to inform the public of the conditions and to let the gomennent know we mean business," he said. Give astudent that first ATTERSLEY TIRE SERVICE PASSENGER & LIGHT TRUCKS - BRAKES-SHOCKS- -TUNE-UPS- -COQ LING SYSTEMS- R103 DUNDAS ST E. 162 KINGST. E. ~WHITBYOSHAWA Give them a summer job. Every summer, students provide a wealth of talent, knowledge and ingenuity that every em- ployer can tap. As an employer, you will benefit from the energy and enthusiasm students bring to their summer jobs. The students in turn will gain the experience sa valuable to entering the working world. 0f course students are willing to do just about I Employment and ~mmigration Canada Emploi et Immigration Canac any sort of work available, but ideally, they would like to find employment related to their field of study. This would help case the transition from school to work and help eliminate the "no experience/no job" bias that they may face when seeking full time employment Hiring students makes gaod business sense. For every type of job yau can offer, there's a student more than wîlling ta work. Can a 6 THE CORPORATION 0F STHE TOWN OF WH ITBY RENTAI 0F GARDEN PLOTS FOR WHITBY RESIDENTS The Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Whitby has establlshed garden plots for corn- munhty use for the 1986 season. The sîze of the plots wIll be 25' x 50' at a cost of $3000 per plot to the user. The land wlll be plowed by the Town and water will be made avallable. lnterested persons are invlted to book a plot In person at: Parks'and Recreatlon Department Municipal Building 575 Rossiand Road East Whltby, Ontario. For more Information, please telephone 668-5803 ext. 292.