Job action may be coming for health care support workers in Manitoba if they and the province cannot come to an agreement in the next two weeks.
According to a press release from the MGEU, both their members and CUPE members will go on strike on October 8 unless they can reach a new deal by then. These workers include health care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks, and recreation coordinators at health care centres and personal care homes, as well as workers in the Home Care program.
“If Manitoba is serious about fixing health care, it will need to resolve the health care staffing crisis, and that means paying fair and competitive wages for health care support workers,” said CUPE President Gina McKay. “Health care jobs that were once seen as highly desirable are just not competitive anymore. The result is increasing staff vacancy rates that are negatively affecting patients and residents.”
In the release, MGEU pointed out that their members are the lowest paid health care support workers in Canada, with starting wages as low as $17.07 for some.
“You can’t expect to fix health care if you have the lowest paid health workers in Canada. The employers’ last offer just doesn’t do enough to recruit and retain the workers needed to run our health care,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “Continuing to fill staffing gaps with private agency workers is costly and wasteful. Instead, Manitoba needs to grow its health care workforce to provide the care that patients and residents deserve.”
MGEU’s release also states that, in the event of a strike, essential healthcare services will continue as per provincial legislation.
