The Lord government has announced a $13 million increase in funding to New Brunswick nursing homes, intended to cover increased wages and new positions. This amounts to an increase of almost 8 per cent to the existing budget of $168 million.
“This increase in funding is a step in the right direction,” says CUPE representative Gordon Black. “However, our members intend to keep up their pressure on the provincial government until every nursing home has enough staff and every worker is adequately compensated.”
“There is no question in my mind that this additional funding is a direct result of our members having gone to the wall on the issue of workload,” Black says, referring to the province-wide strike of nursing home workers last summer. “If seniors and nursing homes have indeed become a priority for this government, they still have a long way to go before our concerns are addressed.”