Winnipeg- Personal care home workers are rallying today for better quality long-term care in Manitoba.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees - Manitoba has called today’s noon-time rally at the Manitoba Legislature to bring attention to the need for adequate staffing in the province’s long-term care facilities.
“Many of our long-term care homes are consistently short-staffed” says Daniel Richards, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Local 3729 at Lions Manor, “this means that staff have to take-on additional duties, and are hard-strung to find the time to give the level and quality of care that our elders deserve”.
The issue of “working short” is when the employer does not backfill or replace staff who call in sick, or when the facilities are understaffed to begin with. This impacts staff through increased stress, increased sick time, and puts both staff and residents at risk of injury.
“We want to ensure that every personal care home in Manitoba is fully staffed, all the time” says Kelly Moist, President of CUPE Manitoba; “we are calling on the province to take a closer look at how long-term care facilities are staffed, and whether or not current staffing levels are sufficient to provide quality care for Manitobans”.
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Manitoba will also be releasing a “Fast Fact” on the state of long-term care in Manitoba, focusing on the need to investigate long-term care staffing ratios, and calling on the Federal Government to increase health transfer payments to the provinces.
“The federal government’s cuts to health care increases to the provinces, and changes to the Health Accord will leave Manitoba with fewer resources to work with” states Moist “at the end of the day, it means that our parents and grandparents will receive a lesser quality of service, unless we act now”.
Long-term care workers from many of Manitoba’s personal care homes will be gathering at the legislative building from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 29th.
Guest speakers include Kelly Moist, President of CUPE Manitoba, Michelle Gawronsky, President of the MGEU, Daniel Richards, Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Local 3729, Kevin Rebeck, President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, Lynne Fernandez, Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues, CCPA, and Paul Moist, National President, CUPE.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
David Jacks
CUPE Communications
Cell: 204-801-7339