The stalemate continues after striking long-term care workers in Nova Scotia briefly resumed negotiations with the provincial government.
On Thursday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees said workers were resuming talks after four weeks of job action.
However, early Friday morning, CUPE released a statement saying that although the offer was better than the last, it was still not a living wage for some union members.
“We went to the table, presenting two counter offers with different wages that would bring our lowest paid workers closer to a living wage, but were met with little movement,” said CUPE long-term care coordinator Kim Cail in a release.
Workers from more than 30 long-term care homes are on picket lines, with the latest, Shoreham Village in Chester, joining the job action today.
The union says staff from two more long-term care homes will go on strike next week.
Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-term Care, has previously stated that the government is offering pay increases of at least 12 per cent over four years, while some workers would see pay bumps of up to 24 per cent.
Chris Driscoll, whose mother is in St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax, told The Canadian Press the remaining workers are doing all they can to keep up care, but families are plugging the gaps.
His family is trying to have someone at the home for meal times because his mother needs help eating and is no longer getting high-protein pudding as a supplement.
