$4 pay-hike, Incentive for Support Workers to Stay
Support workers for people living with disabilities have lobbied for a wage increase for decades, according to Maria Freeman, executive director of Inclusion Selkirk. “Their voices have finally been heard and they are grateful,” she said.
The province announced the largest funding increase in the 60-year history of Community Living disABILITY Services in the budget on March 7. The $81 million funding increase means support workers can now be paid $19 an hour, an increase of almost $4, according to the Abilities Manitoba website.
Abilities Manitoba says the announcement [of a wage increase in the budget] gave them just over 50 per cent of what they were asking from the provincial government.
Taysa Dueck (no relation to this reporter), a support worker at St. Amant, wrote in an email that the wage increase also includes supervisors, so the support workers’ wages aren't higher than those of their supervisors.
“Wages have remained low while the cost of living has increased significantly,” Dueck wrote.
“Many support workers do this as a second job or while they are in school. There is a high turnover due to low pay and staff shortages. This means people who need support are not getting proper support due to new staff always being trained. This effects workplace morale,” Dueck wrote.
For a client, having a consistent support worker is very important, according to Freeman. “When their support worker changes, they must explain their routine and the care they need over and over again. That can be very tiring and frustrating,” she said.
The job of a disability support worker includes but is not limited to, “helping clients with personal hygiene, cleaning, cooking, driving, shopping, supporting individuals in the community and nonviolent crisis intervention,” according to Dueck.
Because of the shortage of staff, “any jobs seen as extra are overlooked and not done,” Dueck wrote.
Freeman hopes this increase in funding will incentivize support workers to stay with their clients rather than seeking higher paying jobs elsewhere.
“We continue to aim for funded wages that remain 60 per cent above minimum wage, and vastly improved and standardized training. For now, we take a breath and express appreciation,” Abilities Manitoba said.
A news release from the province says the changes in the latest budget will only come into affect if the budget passes before June 1.
The story was edited for clarity on March 23, 2023.