A North Bay nurse fired two years ago for speaking out about workplace violence has been ordered back to work by an arbitrator with full compensation.

The arbitrator found Sue McIntyre had “no plan or intention to initiate a media campaign to sully the hospital’s reputation” and that she should be “reinstated to her employment without loss of benefits or seniority and with full compensation.”

McIntyre spoke out about workplace violence at a nursing conference and was quoted in a union media release.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says the firing of McIntyre highlighted the climate of fear in the health sector about reporting workplace violence.

“Our internal polling and the recent study by University of Stirling researchers reveals our hospitals to be violent workplaces that often intimidate staff into staying mum about the widespread nature of this problem. Sue McIntyre is a heroine to health care workers for her courage in telling the truth about how bad it is,” says OCHU president Michael Hurley.

He urges the government of Ontario to now acknowledge that special circumstances exist which warrant support for the legislation introduced by the opposition, which would protect health care staff who report or speak up about workplace violence.