Erica Flynn (91.9 The Bend Photo)
The Higgs government will unveil a throne speech later this month to open the legislature and one organization is hoping pay equity is mentioned.
The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity wants the province to continue increasing wages for community caregivers.
Executive director Johanne Perron says this is key to having good quality services.
“It’s also a question of fairness for the workers who are giving so much of their time to help those who are most vulnerable in our society, ” she says.
Perron believes the caregiving sector is reaching a crisis stage since low wages are making recruitment and retention difficult.
Wages typically range from about $13.40 to $15 per hour.
Pay Equity chairperson Frances LeBlanc says about 12,000 people work in the sector right now and about 90 percent of those are women.
LeBlanc notes how a 2012 study found wages should be about $20 per hour and several years later that amount is likely even higher.
A caregiver in a Level 2 nursing home believes better pay would help with huge retention problems.
Erica Flynn says caregivers are mostly women who are not only underpaid but often undervalued too.
“It’s expected of females to play a mother role. So I think because everything that we do is very much like being a mother to our residents that people just say it’s no big deal,” she notes.
Flynn thinks most people don’t realize that caregivers have so many other duties besides looking after residents.
She adds many workers will clock at least 11 to 13 kilometres during a given shift.
