UPDATE Dec. 3 at 9:30 a.m.:

A spokesperson from the Ontario Nurses Association said the Sudbury and District Health Unit and union representatives are still currently in mediation with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Original story:

One hundred eighteen public health nurses who work for the Sudbury & District Health Unit could be going on strike Dec. 4, something which the provincial president of the Ontario Nurses Association said could put the health of local residents at risk.

The registered nurses and nurse practitioners are members of the Ontario Nurses Association Local 2. They have been working without a contract since April 1. The union and the employer were due to go into mediation with the Ontario Labour Relations Board Dec. 2. If mediation fails, they will be in a legal strike position Dec. 4.

“They (public health nurses) are the foundation of health care in Ontario. Public health nurses are there on the front line trying to prevent illness and disease and to promote health so that we can have healthy lives. Without them, you’re going to see higher rates of disease and illness,” said Linda Haslam-Stroud, ONA president.

When asked about a possible strike, health unit spokesperson Jamie Lamothe would only say that the health unit had no comment about the situation while talks are underway.

The nurses are asking for “normative” wage increases and improvements to their benefits, she said. They are also asking for changes to how their work hours are scheduled, Haslam-Stroud said.

“The public health nurses do not want to be on strike. They want to be on the front lines for the public of the Sudbury area,” Haslam-Stroud said.

“We’re really hoping that the employer steps up to the plate and provides a reasonable offer that the nurses and the employer can live with.”