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“The government knows there is a problem, but seems unwilling to address the real issues." — Jason MacLean, NSGEU acting President
Halifax (06 May 2016) — Following statements by the Stuart MacLean, Chief Executive of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, Jason MacLean, acting President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), is calling on the government of Nova Scotia and the Minister of Health to address safety concerns in long-term care facilities across the province. On May 3, Stuart MacLean said he was disturbed by a spike over the last year in the number of nursing home workers making injury claims due to violence from residents.
Government can address rise in injury claims by increasing staffing levels
“What I hear from our members is that the problem is the government’s failure to approve staffing levels appropriate for the demands being placed on workers in long-term care homes and this failure is putting patients and staff at higher risk,” said the acting President of the NSGEU. “One immediate solution would be for the government to address the staffing level issues with front-line workers, namely continuing care assistants, LPNs and nurses,” added MacLean.
The NSGEU/NUPGE raised this issue last year in a release pointing out the lack of resources being allocated to long-term care to address contiinuing problems regarding staffing levels. “The government knows there is a problem, but seems unwilling to address the real issues,” said MacLean.
Patient and worker safety paramount for NSGEU/NUPGE
“What we would like to see happen is to have government work with workers across the province in a more collaborative approach where all members of the health care team can develop a plan to address staffing issues and the safety of patients and workers in our long-term care facilities,” said MacLean. “It’s time for government to appreciate the hard work front-line workers do and show that they finally value the services they provide; especially considering the crisis they are in.”
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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE