The growing discontent continues among healthcare workers -after desperate testimonials from nurses about their working conditions, workers at some of Montreal's long term care homes braved the cold and staged a demonstration during the noon hour to do the same thing.
Workers at the Biermans CHSLD in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough told CJAD 800 News similar stories: too many patients and not enough time, energy or resources to properly take care of them.
Jeff Begley, union representative for workers at seniors' homes belonging to the CIUSSS de l'est-de-l'île-de-Montréal, said management's solution was to offer rotating shfts to employees. He said that just made everyone worn-out and demotivated and had a negative impact on productivity.
Workers talk about how they have to shorten their rounds and bedside care because they simply have so many patients, no time and are just exhausted. Union spokesman Jeff Begley says everyone's speaking out now because they've had enough and people/services are suffering. #CJAD pic.twitter.com/4QutdDec0F
— Shuyee Lee (@sleeCJAD) February 6, 2018
Begley said it's no surprise healthcare workers are speaking out now.
"It's symptomatic of what's happening all over Quebec," Begley told CJAD 800 News.
"People are just exhausted. They're doing everything they can in their power without the means to do the work they want to do."
Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette had acknowledged that the shortage of employees in nursing homes creates a domino effect on nurses, adding that recruiting is tough in a time of low unemployment.