Home Care Again

The province has to start showing more respect for home-care workers and take action to increase salaries, says Carol Furlong, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association
of Public and Private Employees (NAPE).

Otherwise, she said, the home care industry could collapse because of a shortage of workers.

“The minister announced late last year that a government report on home care would be released in the fall and months later it still isn’t ready. This is unacceptable, ” Furlong said.

The report was to have dealt with, among other things, salaries and benefits for home care workers, Furlong explained. In the absence of the report, Furlong added, the government should maintain the differential in the minimum wage back to Jan. 1, when the minimum wage was increased. “That increase was promised but has yet to be paid out to home-care workers,” she said.

The state of home care isn't a government issue really, it's one of interference and greed by unions and otherwise home care agencies. For those who do not know, home care workers we receiving $6.49 per hour in 2003, minimum wage. Today home care workers are receiving $1.29 per hour more than minimum wage at $9.79 and will receive three more $0.50 cent wage in July 2009, January and July 2010. at which time the rate will be; $11.29.

The big concern for nape and the agencies will be point mute for the battle. Government do not hire home care workers, they fund clients to hire their own workers. It costs about $5.00 more per hour for a client to hire from the public pool, than what it would to hire from an agency.

Furlong isn't concerned about patient needs, or worker rights. Shes concerned about larger union numbers.

Brudder