The Daily Gleaner
The provincial government's $4.4-million plan to offer home-support workers and their agencies more money has been rejected by the association representing the agencies.
The New Brunswick Home Support Association has railed against the province's recent decision that would see workers' wages increase from $9.50 to $11 an hour and agencies get a boost from $15 to $16 an hour for every client as of Oct. 1.
The wage increase is more than the amount offered to the agencies, which argue are already struggling to stay afloat due to of the high cost of doing business. They want the government to increase their funding to $18.33 an hour so they can better serve seniors and people with disabilities in their homes.
"The members want to work with the government," said association president Bob Price on Thursday with supporters outside the province's Centennial Building in Fredericton.
"If an agency gives the wage increase without proper funding, they'll have to cut things. They'll have to cut office staff, which means service to clients. Also, they'll have to cut nurse supervisors and interns. The province needs to realize there's a cost to delivering these services."
About 20 members of the association congregated outside the Centennial Building at 4 p.m., asking to speak to government officials. Price had already met with Finance Minister Blaine Higgs and Social Development Minister Sue Stultz for almost 90 minutes in the morning, but was disappointed with the results. He went back to his membership meeting in Fredericton and they agreed to reject the province's position. They then drove to the Centennial building to voice their displeasure.
As chance would have it, Premier David Alward saw the crowd after doing an interview with CTV on a different subject and walked over.
Price said the premier listened to what the group had to say and asked them to send him more information. His government is struggling to lower a $633-million deficit and a $9.5-billion debt.
"He asked for additional information, which I promised to do," Price said. "I said, 'You might get more than you want,' and he said, 'That's quite all right.' "
Price said he knows the government can impose whatever it wants to and the agencies would have no option but to accept the terms or give up the business.
Social Development spokesman Mark Barbour said Stultz wouldn't comment on the group's position because she still hadn't heard directly from it. However, he said the government wouldn't necessarily change its position.
"Social Development's concern here is the wages for the home-support workers. That's why there's been a commitment to increase the wage," Barbour said.
Home-care support workers in New Brunswick make less than their counterparts in neighbouring Nova Scotia, where they're paid $16 an hour, and Prince Edward Island, where the going rate is $17 an hour. Retention and recruitment are two of the leading issues for the industry.
While almost 9,000 people in the province receive home-care support, Stultz has said she'd like to see more seniors stay at home and hinted the home-support program should be expanded.
There's a waiting list of just fewer than 700 seniors to get into nursing homes in the province, and about 500 seniors are occupying acute-hospital beds, waiting to be transferred somewhere more suitable.
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