CUPE NL: Budget Misses the Mark Without Action on Wages

ST. JOHN’S, NFLD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador says Budget 2025–2026 includes welcome investments in public services, but fails to address the key issue holding those services back: low wages.

“This budget funds projects—but it doesn’t fund the people needed to make those projects succeed,” said Stacey Lucas, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador and Regional Vice President. “Without fixing wages, this plan doesn’t work.”

The union says the province is investing in housing, long-term care, childcare, and post-secondary education—but ignoring the workforce crisis already limiting service delivery.

At Newfoundland and Labrador Housing, new funding to repair units and hire staff is positive, but existing vacancies remain unfilled due to non-competitive pay.

“You can’t expand services if you can’t recruit and retain workers,” said Lucas.

CUPE NL says this pattern is repeating across the public sector, where wages have effectively declined over the past decade. With most collective agreements up this year, the union warns that continued wage stagnation will deepen staffing shortages and undermine new investments.

In long-term care, the province’s plan to add beds raises the same concern.

“You can build new facilities, but without workers, those beds won’t be there for families who need them,” said Lucas.

The union also welcomed additional childcare spaces and supports for families but noted that demand continues to outpace supply—and that staffing pressures remain unresolved.

“Spaces don’t operate themselves,” said Lucas. “If wages don’t keep up, the system won’t either.”

CUPE NL is calling on the government to address the wage crisis as a central part of its plan to strengthen public services.

“If government is serious about delivering results, it needs to invest in the people who make those services possible,” said Lucas.

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