Northside Community Guest Home Workers Vote to Strike

SYDNEY, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Long term care workers from Northside Community Guest Home, represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1876, voted 97% in favour of a strike mandate, citing low wages and overwork due to understaffing as their main issues.

“The last thing we want is to end up on strike,” admitted CUPE 1876 President Wanda Bond, “but the reality is that long term care workers are at their breaking point. Not just here, but across the province. We are stretched thin due to understaffing; we’re struggling to make ends meet due to low wages. We can’t continue like this. We deserve better, but so do our residents.”

Long term care workers in Nova Scotia are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, with several classifications, such as cooks and seamstresses, making under $20 an hour. Recent collective agreements in other provinces such as Prince Edward Island have resulted in a nearly $10 an hour wage difference for classifications such as dietary aides.

“Houston and his government seem comfortable leaving Nova Scotians at the bottom,” observed CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin, “but these workers aren’t. So, they’re going to keep fighting for what they deserve.”

CUPE filed for conciliation last week after bargaining talks with representatives of the Houston government stalled.

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