A nurse in Longueuil, Quebec has been reinstated after she was suspended for three days for eating a slice of toast with peanut butter while on her shift.
The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de la Montérégie-Est released a statement explaining “the measure was too severe for the act committed.”
“The Montérégie-Est Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS) has taken note of the whole situation and is cancelling the disciplinary measure of a three-day suspension for the nurse involved. Considering the discrepancies in the handling of this event, the measure has been invalidated and removed from the employee’s file,” the statement read in French.
They added that they met with the employee and apologized to her.
The incident took place last Friday when the Journal de Montreal reported that the nurse had been suspended for eating a slice of toast on the job. The initial investigation described the incident as “a serious breach of the obligations of loyalty and honesty.”
Once the CISSS met with the nurse and her union representative, they reversed the suspension.
The nurse, who requested anonymity, explained to the Journal de Montreal that she had eaten the toast because she did not have time to eat breakfast prior to her shift.
Sonia Bélanger, the Quebec minister responsible for senior care tweeted that she will be looking into the incident and will meet with those who were involved with the initial decision to suspend the nurse.
“I asked the CISSS for an explanation and the CEO agreed that the measure was too severe,” she said on Twitter on Monday in French. “The CISSS will meet with the nurse today to apologize and inform her that they are reversing their decision. The managers involved will be met.”
Although emergency rooms in hospitals across the province are over capacity, the number of nurses in the province is growing, according to Quebec’s professional order.
