‘This will not be business as usual’: health officials, unions brace for support-worker strike Tuesday

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This article was published 07/10/2024 (336 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba’s health-care system is bracing for significant disruption, including longer emergency room waits and delays or cancellations to some services, if more than 25,000 support workers go on strike at 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Last-minute contract talks continued with a conciliator today ahead of a deadline set by the workers’ unions, which said a strike remained a strong possibility.

ER and hospital bed wait times, cuts to some home-care duties and delays to elective and less urgent surgeries would be among the impacts of a strike, health officials said in a warning to patients.

“Essential services agreements are in place to ensure care will continue to be available, with the sickest and most injured patients prioritized,” said Monika Warren, chief operating officer of provincial co-ordinated health services and Shared Health’s chief nursing officer.

“To be clear, this will not be business as usual. A strike would disrupt a number of health services.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 204 and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, which represent support staff, said a deal wasn’t close this afternoon. Talks were to continue into the night.

“We’re pretty far apart, but we’re going to continue to work to try to resolve this,” said MGEU president Kyle Ross.

“Wages are not keeping up with rising costs, and that’s really at the core (of negotiations),” said CUPE Manitoba president Gina McKay, noting some workers are forced to take on extra work to make ends meet.

McKay and Ross said a strike would be a last resort if workers did not receive a “fair” offer.

“Whether or not they walk the picket line, it’s up to them,” said McKay, referring to the Manitoba government. “It’s their chance to fix health care from the ground up.”

“We’re in this fight for Manitobans. We’re actively fighting to improve health care,” said Ross, noting the 25,000-plus employees represent half of Manitoba’s health-care workforce.

The unions were negotiating with Shared Health, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Interlake-Eastern RHA, Prairie Mountain Health and Southern Health. Northern Health is the only region not included in contract talks.

MGEU has said a strike would result in a roughly 30 per cent reduction in home-care services, a 25 to 30 per cent drop in work by clerical staff and a five to 10 per cent cut in work by health-care aides.

CUPE Local 204 and MGEU are seeking an improved offer on wage increases for members who work at hospitals and personal-care homes, and in the provincial home-care program.

They include health-care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks, recreation co-ordinators and people who work in maintenance and housekeeping.

Several positions start at just above minimum wage, with Manitoba’s support workers paid less than their counterparts in other provinces, the unions said.

MGEU and CUPE members rejected previous contract offers. MGEU has said the deal for its members included a one per cent wage increase retroactive to April 1, and an 11.25 per cent wage hike spread over the four years of the contract.

In question period Monday, Progressive Conservative health critic Kathleen Cook challenged Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara to explain how many elective surgeries will be cancelled, how much wait times will increase, and how many home-care patients will be affected.

Asagwara, who did not provide figures, said the NDP government offered a deal that is two-and-a-half times what the previous Tory government offered, without divulging terms.

“Patient care is our top priority as we navigate this,” the minister said.

It was unclear how many of the 25,000-plus union members would be required to report to work each day, as per provincial legislation, to ensure essential services continue during a strike.

Warren said there will be no reduction in staff at some facilities, while others will see a 50 per cent drop, depending on each site’s essential services agreement.

Non-essential tasks could be covered by non-union members. Examples include answering phones or helping a manager who is involved in providing direct care, said Warren.

She and Shared Health chief medical officer Dr. Jose Francois held a news conference to explain the potential impacts for patients or clients.

They said the wider impacts and individual patient cases would be continually assessed. Warren apologized to those who receive short notice for a service postponement or cancellation.

Francois stressed hospitals would stay open and people should continue to call 911 or visit an ER in a medical emergency.

Patients deemed to be a lower priority would face longer ER or urgent care wait times. Those with minor or less urgent concerns should seek help elsewhere, such as a family doctor’s office, walk-in clinic or minor injury and illness clinic, or via the QDoc virtual service, he said.

Diagnostics and other patients with booked or walk-in appointments would also face longer waits.

Francois said a strike would slow down patient discharges from hospitals, which could lead to delays in beds becoming available for patients who need to be admitted.

“In many cases, these patients will be cared for in the emergency department or urgent care until a bed is available,” he said.

Warren said all beds in acute care facilities and long-term care would stay open. Life-saving and high-priority surgeries, and cancer surgeries and treatments would continue, while diagnostic testing would be kept at or near-normal levels, she added.

Francois said about 250 elective surgeries per week would be delayed, although the figure could change during a prolonged strike.

Warren said surgery slates would be reduced from typically 16 per day to 12 at Health Sciences Centre, and five to three at Children’s Hospital.

St. Boniface Hospital normally has eight to 10 non-cardiac slates a day. The figure would go down to five, said Warren.

Hospitals in Selkirk and Brandon would also see reductions.

Officials would try to keep endoscopy capacity at near-normal levels.

Home-care services for Priority 1 and some Priority 2 clients would continue, but services and adult day programs would be “significantly” disrupted, with lower priority tasks postponed or done less often.

Bath schedules, and housekeeping and laundry services would be scaled back. Family members would fill in for some clients, said Warren.

Personal-care homes would see a disruption to recreation and rehabilitation services.

Outpatient clinic hours could change. Some ambulatory care clinic visits would be done virtually instead of in person. There would be delays in processing new clients for mental health and addiction services.

Food services would use more disposable products, and menu options would be scaled back in some cases.

Deliveries to ostomy and home nutrition clients would be disrupted. In-person language access interpreter services would not be available.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca