Sharon Teare, NBCNHU president (Zoom)
The New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions says the retention and recruitment of workers is now in a state of crisis which has resulted in critically low staffing levels at facilities across the province.
Union president Sharon Teare urges Premier Blaine Higgs to immediately boost the wages of workers by $4 per hour.
“There’s no longer a home in nursing homes, we’re just struggling to house our seniors. And you know what? That is not okay.”
Teare believes a wage boost will help address the staffing problems.
“The sad reality is that we cannot close the doors due to not having enough staff to provide the services because where would our most vulnerable New Brunswickers go if that were to be the case?”
Over the next two years, the federal government has earmarked funds to establish a $25 per hour minimum wage for long-term care workers.
Teare says the staffing shortage has meant that some nursing home residents are not getting their legislated hours of daily care.
