Nurses who work in Ontario’s hospitals are set to get a wage increase.

The Ontario Nurses Association says it amounts to an average of 11 percent over two years.

An arbitrator released his decision on the matter Thursday, after the ONA failed to reach an agreement with the Ontario Hospital Association.

The report stated there was a clear nursing recruitment and retention crisis in the province.

It’s the first contract for the nurses since Bill 124, which capped increases at one per cent a year over three years.