Workers hold rally to protest job cuts at Joseph Brant Hospital

Workers at Joseph Brant Hospital held a rally noon Wednesday protesting the elimination of ten jobs saying it will negatively impact patient care.

According to the the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario Council of Hospital Union (OCHU) the removal of ten positions at the Burlington hospital will impact already the already suffering quality of patient care and workforce morale.

President of OCHU-CUPE Michael Hurley says the union noticed an “alarming pattern of staffing cuts at multiple hospitals in Ontario because of government underfunding.”

“An unacceptable development considering the 2,000 patients waiting on stretchers in hospital hallways for beds and the 250,000 people waiting for surgeries in Ontario,” reads a statement he released Monday.

Ten positions planned to be cut from the hospital

CUPE told CHCH News that the planned job cuts include seven housekeeping positions, one operating room assistant, an operating room clerk and a single occupational therapist.

The union said that while nursing is not “directly” impacted, the operating room assistants understaffed and the loss of another position means that some of their tasks will now be handled by nurses.

Earlier this week Ontario Premier Doug Ford made an appearance at the hospital to announce the funding and development of the Michael and Laura Paletta mental health ward.

He said the investment was part of a series of investments worth $50 billion to be used across 50 hospitals in Ontario.

WATCH MORE: Ford government announces new mental health unit at Joseph Brant Hospital