CUPE long-term care workers are preparing for their strike rally on Wednesday.
The protest will be when you enter Cape Breton from the Canso Causeway near the roundabout from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
“We’re heading into conciliation on Thursday and Friday to try to get a deal for long-term care workers and this is just a precursor of what could happen if we don’t get a deal. So, we need government to pay attention that these workers are fed up and they’re ready to take action,” shared Long-Term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin.
She says the deal the government is offering of 3 per cent increase this year and 2 per cent per year for the following three years is embarrassing and a disgrace.
“We’re willing to work with government and talk about how we can implement wage that will bring people out of poverty, because right now we have members who live in their car in order to go to work in long-term care,” she expressed.
Martin says some support service workers who currently make $18.77 an hour would barely be earning $21 after the proposed 4-year deal.
She added the union would like to see all workers get a $5 per hour raise to follow recent negotiations granted in New Brunswick and PEI.
According to her, they’re at about 35 positive strike votes out of the 52 nursing homes to date.
