UNFAIR HIRING PRACTICES AT THE OROMOCTO PUBLIC HOSPITAL
Posted on by
Mary-Faith Mazerolle Monday, May 28th, 2012
206 Chapman Road
Newcastle Centre, NB
E4B 2M1
506-327-6707
tmfmaz@gmail.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing out of concern and frustration over a job I have recently applied for at the Oromocto Public Hospital. I am a Diagnostic Imaging technologist with 17 years experience in my field and have been working at OPH for the past 10 years, first in a full time and currently in a part time position in Diagnostic Imaging. The job I applied for was never a bilingual position but when the previous employee retired from her position, human resources made it bilingual. I have never, in my ten years of working at OPH had to speak French, nor have I ever had to turn a patient away because I could not communicate with them. I can speak French well enough to complete the x-ray procedure and some idle small talk, however I would not be considered bilingual according to the provincial standards for an Anglophone person. The afore mentioned position was subsequently offered to someone who is new to NB and originally from Quebec. She had less seniority than I, but is bilingual. It turns out that she decided not to take the job. It is then that the human resources department of Horizon Health decided to post the job outside of the health authority. This is not what the job posting said. The job posting said that if the most qualified candidate did not take the job, then the next most qualified candidate from the original posting would be offered the job. This did not happen! They have now offered the job to a new graduate who has not even passed the certification exams in order to work. She is bilingual, however. Keep in mind that the job is for a Diagnostic Imaging Technologist!
I was born and brought up as an English speaking New Brunswicker. I have 17 years experience in my field. I have an excellent work record and am good at what I do. As I see it, NB is not a bilingual province, it is a French province. Why would the employer that I have given 17 years to, all of a sudden tell me I am not good enough to do the job I have been doing right along, simply because I am not French? This is a very disturbing practice that needs to STOP now. Is the government trying to get rid of all the English speaking qualified work force? I could understand if the job required me to speak and write French on a daily basis. However, it does not! Not even close. As I mentioned before, I have been there for 10 years and have not once had to speak French. Do I, as an English speaking New Brunswicker, not have any rights? It seems not! Someone needs to take a look at this situation and ask some serious questions. Would you rather have someone providing care for you that has no experience, or someone that can speak French? I have no doubt that the person they offered the job to will become a competent X-ray tech. However, I have 17 years experience and I should be offered the job on that basis, not denied it because I am not officially bilingual.
I appreciate your attention to this very important matter. I will be awaiting your response. As you can appreciate, this is of utmost importance to all New Brunswickers as I am sure it has happened in other areas. The government, surely, doesn’t want to have more qualified health care workers leave the province for this reason. We are hard to come by and should be valued for our expertise.
Yours truly,
Mary-Faith Mazerolle MRT
cc: David Alward- Premier of New Brunswick
Ross Wetmore- MLA Grand Lake Gagetown
Don Peters- CEO Horizon Health
Bernard Richard-Ombudsman of New Brunswick
Madeleine Dube- Minister of Health
Margot Craig-NBU Labour relations
Michael Carrier- Official Languages Commissioner
Randy Dickinson- Human Rights Commissioner
Mary-Faith Mazerolle Monday, May 28th, 2012
206 Chapman Road
Newcastle Centre, NB
E4B 2M1
506-327-6707
tmfmaz@gmail.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing out of concern and frustration over a job I have recently applied for at the Oromocto Public Hospital. I am a Diagnostic Imaging technologist with 17 years experience in my field and have been working at OPH for the past 10 years, first in a full time and currently in a part time position in Diagnostic Imaging. The job I applied for was never a bilingual position but when the previous employee retired from her position, human resources made it bilingual. I have never, in my ten years of working at OPH had to speak French, nor have I ever had to turn a patient away because I could not communicate with them. I can speak French well enough to complete the x-ray procedure and some idle small talk, however I would not be considered bilingual according to the provincial standards for an Anglophone person. The afore mentioned position was subsequently offered to someone who is new to NB and originally from Quebec. She had less seniority than I, but is bilingual. It turns out that she decided not to take the job. It is then that the human resources department of Horizon Health decided to post the job outside of the health authority. This is not what the job posting said. The job posting said that if the most qualified candidate did not take the job, then the next most qualified candidate from the original posting would be offered the job. This did not happen! They have now offered the job to a new graduate who has not even passed the certification exams in order to work. She is bilingual, however. Keep in mind that the job is for a Diagnostic Imaging Technologist!
I was born and brought up as an English speaking New Brunswicker. I have 17 years experience in my field. I have an excellent work record and am good at what I do. As I see it, NB is not a bilingual province, it is a French province. Why would the employer that I have given 17 years to, all of a sudden tell me I am not good enough to do the job I have been doing right along, simply because I am not French? This is a very disturbing practice that needs to STOP now. Is the government trying to get rid of all the English speaking qualified work force? I could understand if the job required me to speak and write French on a daily basis. However, it does not! Not even close. As I mentioned before, I have been there for 10 years and have not once had to speak French. Do I, as an English speaking New Brunswicker, not have any rights? It seems not! Someone needs to take a look at this situation and ask some serious questions. Would you rather have someone providing care for you that has no experience, or someone that can speak French? I have no doubt that the person they offered the job to will become a competent X-ray tech. However, I have 17 years experience and I should be offered the job on that basis, not denied it because I am not officially bilingual.
I appreciate your attention to this very important matter. I will be awaiting your response. As you can appreciate, this is of utmost importance to all New Brunswickers as I am sure it has happened in other areas. The government, surely, doesn’t want to have more qualified health care workers leave the province for this reason. We are hard to come by and should be valued for our expertise.
Yours truly,
Mary-Faith Mazerolle MRT
cc: David Alward- Premier of New Brunswick
Ross Wetmore- MLA Grand Lake Gagetown
Don Peters- CEO Horizon Health
Bernard Richard-Ombudsman of New Brunswick
Madeleine Dube- Minister of Health
Margot Craig-NBU Labour relations
Michael Carrier- Official Languages Commissioner
Randy Dickinson- Human Rights Commissioner