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The announcement by the Ontario government that it will boost the wages of Personal Support Workers in the province is a welcome first step in addressing serious concerns in the homecare industry, says the president of Canada's largest union in the private sector.
"We can't build decent services for our elderly on the backs of working people," said Jerry Dias, national president of Unifor, which represents more than 26,000 healthcare workers, including PSWs.
The province today announced that it will gradually increase the hourly wage of PSWs by $4 an hour, to $16.50 by April 1, 2016, in hopes of providing more job stability for those already in the job and attracting more young people to become PSWs.
Dias said a welcome next step would be for the province to end the practice of requiring companies to bid for the support contracts, which puts downward pressure on wages.
"When it comes to caring for our parents and grandparents, we shouldn't be in a race to the bottom," said Dias.
The reasoning for increasing the base wage for PSWs – that low wages drive people to precarious employment where they are unable to support their own families while caring for others – is also a good reason to support a higher minimum wage.
"The problems the Ontario government has associated with low wages for PSWs also apply to workers across the economy struggling on minimum wage," Dias said.
Unifor, along with other unions and progressive groups, has called for a $14 minimum wage in Ontario.
The province should now look into pay rates for PSWs working in long-term care homes, said Ontario Regional Director Katha Fortier. They have had not had a wage increase since 2011, even though most of their employers are for-profit corporations that have done well recently.
