TORONTO, Ont. – The president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) has written an open letter to the province’s Minister of Labour, Kevin Flynn, urging the government to take responsibility for the ongoing problem of violence in the healthcare industry. The March 13 letter by Michael Hurley, which is available on OCHU’s website, lamented what he called a “deplorable situation” in which healthcare employees are attacked by patients on a regular basis, but cannot speak out about the violence out of fear of losing their jobs. “Violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable,” wrote Hurley. “In no other occupation or walk of life would such abuse be tolerated. The risk factors would be thoroughly scrutinized and solutions would be implemented. We absolutely refuse to accept this culture of ‘structural violence.’ We are optimistic that you are equally alarmed.” Hurley’s letter included several recommendations for the Ministry of Labour, including ensuring adequate staffing, whistleblower protection, legislative amendments and comprehensive inspections and audits. “We are holding you and your government responsible for what we now believe is an epidemic of violence and the failure of the regulatory system to adequately safeguard workers,” Hurley added.