Nearly 50% of health care support workers have been, or plan to, look for a new job, according to a survey conducted from over 5,000 support workers in the WRHA, Shared Health, Southern Health-Santé Sud, and the Northern Regional Health Authority.
Recruitment and retention of health care support workers should be a priority for government and health care employers,” said Shannon McAteer, CUPE Health Care Coordinator.
“Now is the time to support these workers with real, tangible improvements that will keep them on the job”.
According to front line health care workers responding to the survey, over 65% of those who were looking for a new job were looking outside the public health care system entirely.
The report also highlights that only 28% of health care aides reported that staffing levels were sufficient to provide proper care to patients, residents, or clients. Over 75% of them reported working short staffed once or more per week.
“Government and employers need to realize that it is not just a cultural shift that’s needed in health care, it’s better wages and working conditions that are going to attract and retain health care support workers,” said McAteer. “You can’t fix the health care system until you fix the staffing crisis”.
25,000 health care support workers in Manitoba are preparing to go on strike on October 8th unless government and health care employers come forward with a fair deal that includes real improvements to workers wages.
Data from this survey came from over 5,000 health care support workers in the WRHA, Shared Health, Southern Health-Santé Sud, and Northern Regional Health Authority. The questions were part of the CUPE bargaining survey in March 2024, conducted to identify priorities for front line support workers in Manitoba.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union representing more than 740,000 members. In Manitoba, CUPE represents approximately 37,000 members working in health care facilities, personal care homes, home care, school divisions, municipal services, social services, child care centres, public utilities, libraries, and family emergency services.
