Sodexho story should raise alarm bells

Your story about Piruqsaijit teaming up with Sodexho to provide service operations at mining camps across Nunavut (“Rankin Inlet firm joins forces with service-industry giant” April 18) should raise a number of alarm bells, especially when you read the accompanying story about Sodexho’s track record.

Having a multinational like Sodexho take over the food services at the various camps is one thing, but further on in the article you state they also have their sites set on the health-care industry. This is where every citizen in Nunavut should be very concerned.

A hospital’s support workers need specialized knowledge and training to prepare and serve food, clean and sterilize rooms, process laundry, keep records, maintain equipment and do other work that is vital to patient safety and cleaning. These workers will need to be well-trained and will have to constantly upgrade their education and that requires time and money. Will a private, for-profit company be willing to pay for constant upgrading of personnel?

It is also important that the people who clean our hospitals and provide the meals for our family members in hospitals are paid a decent wage. They are performing important services for the community and they deserve a decent living wage.

In addition, we should remember that a corporation like Sodexho will not be providing these services for the good of the community. Sodexho will come to Iqaluit and Rankin for one reason – profit. And we can be sure those profits will not be reinvested in the community or even in the North.

Before we open the door to Sodexho we need to know more about their motivation and we have to be ready for the consequences.

Bob Haywood
President
Northern Territories Federation of Labour