The New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions is calling on the provincial government to increase wages for workers in long-term care homes by $ 4 an hour.
Council President Sharon Teare told reporters today that the houses are understaffed and the pay increase would help with recruitment and retention.
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She says that most long-term care homes in the province are missing at least half of their required employees, leaving residents without adequate care.
Teare says nursing home workers in New Brunswick earn $ 21 an hour on average, a rate she says is among the lowest in the country for that sector.
She says federal liberals promised last month before winning the election that they would address the shortcomings in the country’s long-term care sector, adding that now is the time for the province to do its part.
No one from the provincial government was immediately available for comment today.
This Canadian Press report was first published on September 27, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca