N.B. health-care workers applaud extra pay, coalition calls for pay equity

New Brunswick health-care workers are celebrating adding $2.50 an hour to their pay. It comes as the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity calls for equal pay for other workers

Special care homes are applauding a move by the provincial government in providing a pay increase for personal support workers.

The budget allocated $44.9 million for pay increases. The money will be used to give a $2.50 an-hour increase to special care home workers and home support workers, who were previously earning $16.50 and $17.50, respectively.

One special care home just outside the Fredericton region told Global News that finding personal support workers has become increasingly difficult with the lack of wages for workers.

Owner Cristie Dykeman said that many smaller homes struggle to compete in recruiting and retaining workers.

The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity said that pay for personal support workers should be somewhere around $25/hour, noting that pay is nearly $6 an hour short of that.

“Sometimes people drop out of the workforce because that’s the only way they can make it happen,” told Johanne Perron from the group.

“In a time when we struggle so much with the labour shortage. We need to support them.”

Working conditions, effort and education requirements were all cited as a lack of will to get into the industry, and according to the group, pay needs to be higher to fix the industry.