Change in subcontractors leads to layoffs at B.C. nursing home

More than 230 health workers face job loss

More than 230 health workers at Inglewood Care Centre in B.C. are facing layoff as the nursing home changes subcontractors.

CareCorp — the company subcontracted by the owner to provide resident care and support — recently terminated its agreement with the facility.

Aides, LPNs, dietary staff and cleaners are among the affected employees.

According to the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU), the nursing home’s owner Unicare has changed subcontractors numerous times since 2003. Wages at the facility are reportedly among the lowest in the Lower Mainland.

The union called for the work to be brought back in-house but the owner has opted to contract out to another outside party beginning on May 31.

HEU’s secretary-business manager Bonnie Pearson said the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority — in addition to funding Inglewood’s operations — is responsible for protecting the continuity of care for residents at the care centre.

“After a decade of chaos and uncertainty, both residents and workers at Inglewood deserve some stability,” Pearson said. “If Unicare is unwilling to change its behaviour, the health authority should exert stronger oversight of the facility’s operations and finances.”

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