The New Brunswick Federation of Labour is calling on Premier Higgs to reconsider his position on negotiating national standards for the long-term care sector with his provincial, territorial, and national counterparts.
“It is with disbelief and shock that we learn that the majority Conservative government in New Brunswick decided to take a pass on participating in setting national standards for the long-term care sector in Canada,” says Daniel Legere, President of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, “New Brunswick seniors do not deserve a lower standard of care than seniors living elsewhere in Canada.”
One thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated is that our long-term care homes are under pressure because they are under-resourced, under-staffed and overlooked. Front-line care workers have been sounding the alarm for years about how our nursing homes are in crisis.
Government after government have commissioned reports on the long-term care sector. Little has changed over the years, though, as successive governments have failed to implement the recommendations found in these reports. Most recently the New Brunswick Nurses Union released a detailed research report of the conditions found in the long-term care sector. It highlighted inadequate staffing levels, lack of government oversight and transparency and rising violence.
“We call on Premier Higgs to do the right thing and listen to front-line health care workers, long-term care residents and their families, sector experts and even the Canadian military,” adds Legere “Its time to develop national standards for the long term care sector. Our seniors deserve no less.”
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The New Brunswick Federation of Labour represents over 38,000 unionized workers and is the central voice of organized labour in the province.
For information, please contact:
Daniel Legere
President, NBFL
(506) 857-2125 / (506) 381-8969