Disabled residents will get care despite strike, premier promises

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This article was published 11/03/2024 (621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tenants at Winnipeg independent-living facilities who count on striking health-care aides to have their day-to-day needs met will be looked after while staff are on the picket line, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says.

More than 150 unionized health-care aides at Ten Ten Sinclair Housing Inc. went on strike March 6 for better wages after four years without a contract. Canadian Union for Public Employees members provide front-line health care to persons with disabilities residing at the independent, non-profit organization’s seven residential properties.

The strike’s impact on tenants was again the subject of debate at the Manitoba legislature on Monday, with the Opposition Progressive Conservatives calling on the NDP government to make sure staff are available to residents at Ten Ten Sinclair.

Since the strike began, tenants of the non-profit organization’s apartments said their neighbours have been forced to lay for hours in soiled bedding, unable to turn on lights, and have gone without baths. Others have expressed concern about receiving their routine care, continuing to go to work and to prepare meals.

“Some of the most vulnerable folks in our city are left wondering if they’ll be getting the care that they need,” PC health critic Kathleen Cook said in question period.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Ten Ten Sinclair have brought in outside staff, including agency workers, to deliver necessary services for tenants. The health region funds Ten Ten Sinclair’s operations, including wages. Manitoba Housing also provides funds the organization.

The Roblin MLA called the current staffing situation unacceptable and inhumane and said the province must bring in an adequate number of replacement workers while the strike is ongoing.

“Or does their ideology prevent that?” Cook said.

The NDP government plans to introduce legislation that would ban replacement workers during strikes and lockouts. The government also wants to modernize labour laws to compel employers and unions to negotiate the scope of essential services and to require union members to perform those services during a legal strike or lockout.

Kinew said the government is taking the strike seriously and its response has been led by Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. The premier said WRHA employees have been on site at Ten Ten Sinclair properties 24-7.

“We will ensure these residents get the care they need, no question,” Kinew said.

Forthcoming legislation would have ensured continuity of services during the strike, the premier added.

In a prepared statement, CUPE Manitoba president Gina McKay said the employer requested a meeting with the union on Monday, after five days of strike. According to the union, its members’ wages have increased by 1.75 per cent since 2016.

“While there is movement, we have still not reached an agreement. Our team is ready and willing to work into the night if necessary,” McKay said. “At the end of the day, these front-line health workers deserve a fair contract, and anything that leaves them further behind is unacceptable.”

Despite the WRHA’s role in providing services to tenants during the strike, Ten Ten Sinclair is not covered by essential services legislation because the region doesn’t consider it a health-care facility, McKay said.

“The bottom line is the only way to end the strike is for the WRHA and Ten Ten Sinclair to step up and offer these workers a fair deal,” she said.

Ten Ten Sinclair did not return a request for comment by deadline.

A spokesperson for the WRHA said its incident command structure is in place to provide a coordinated approach to “safely and consistently manage the care needs of all residents,” who can also call its client relations line to report any concerns.

The region was unable to address specific staffing questions by deadline.

“We recognize this is a concerning situation for the residents and clients of Ten Ten Sinclair and its affiliated sites and we are doing everything we can at this time to minimize the disruption. Our priority at all times is to ensure a safe continuity of care,” the spokesperson said in a prepared statement.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca