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CSN Warns of Crisis in Care of the Elderly
CBC Ottawa
Canada
January 31, 2005
There are warnings that long-term care for elderly Quebecers is facing a crisis. A major labour federation is launching a public campaign to draw attention to working conditions in Quebec's 2,200 private, long-term care homes - where most employees earn just above the minimum wage.
More than 80,000 elderly people in Quebec live in privately operated long-term, chronic-care homes.
Many have degenerative neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. They rely on round-the-clock care, from janitors to orderlies and nurses aides - workers who earn an average of $8.50 an hour.
Guy Trichard heads the union representing workers at private, long-term, chronic-care homes in Montreal. He says these workers are caring and dedicated. But they earn very little compared to public servants, and they feel exploited.
Jeff Begley, of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN), says that elevates workplace stress, and causes high staff turnover. He says, as a generation of baby boomers ages, unless more publicly funded homes are built, people will turn to privately run homes.
"If we don't address now the conditions in these centres, we're going to come to a huge problem over the next few years," Begley says.
The CSN says only five per cent of workers in privately run homes for the elderly are unionized. In spite of that, the labour federation will lobby for them to be paid a minimum wage of $11 dollars an hour.
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