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Long-term care workers at Inverary Manor, represented by CUPE 1485, voted 100% in favour of a strike mandate last week.

“We’ve reached a breaking point,” admitted CUPE 1485 President Ashton Brown, “and that can be seen across the province. Long-term care workers are overworked and underpaid and when we ask for help, or for recognition of the vital work we do, the government’s response is to offer us almost nothing at the bargaining table.”

Nearly 30 CUPE long-term care locals across the province have taken positive strike votes in the last 2 months, echoing each other’s calls for improved wages and recruitment and retention initiatives. Recently, the Minister Adams was quoted as praising the Houston government’s offers of free tuition for Continuing Care Assistants (CCAs) and the building of additional beds, however the union maintains that these steps alone won’t fix the current issues facing long-term care.

“Offering free tuition is great, but CCAs don’t just work in long-term care, and the fact is people don’t choose to stay in the sector anymore. It feels like we’ve been shouting this from the rooftops for years now. Long-term care pays poorly and is chronically understaffed, so people move on to other sectors. Recruitment isn’t an issue because people aren’t qualified; it’s an issue because people don’t want to work for nothing,” explained CUPE Long-term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin. “Minister Adams can brag about adding beds and cutting tuition costs for one of many jobs essential to long-term care, but as long as the pay continues to be below the living wage, the long-term care sector will struggle.”