Home care support worker blasts government over growing wage discrepancy

A private home care worker is blasting the government of Newfoundland and Labrador over its handling of the industry's wages, saying the gap between private and agency workers is only growing.

In November, former provincial health minister John Hogan announced federal funding to help boost the hourly wage for agency home care workers over the course of five years, going from $17.05 to $21.05.

Sarah King, a private home care worker who isn't included in the plan, told the CBC she was shocked when she saw the news.

"It was like getting punched in the face," King said. "It was very upsetting because I already knew I was getting paid less, but now the gap is just growing."

As a private home care support worker, she is also paid by the provincial government. The current wage is $17.05 an hour.

"So every year now they're going to get a little bit more. My wage has not increased since 2023. Minimum wage continues to go up, but my wage does not," said King.

King said she also doesn't get benefits like sick days and isn't included in workers compensation if injured on the job — something agency-based home care support workers get access to.

Building relationships

When a social worker recommends a home care support worker, King said the client has a choice on whether to use a private or agency home care worker.

She has worked with an agency before, but made the leap to private three years ago and currently has two clients she works closely with. When she was with an agency, she said her client could change regularly and she felt micro-managed.

"Working for myself ensures that I can build a relationship with my clients. I can be there. They know who's showing up for the shift every day. We can be flexible with each other's schedules," said King.

Since she made the change, she said she's been happier and less stressed.

Review underway: Hogan

For months King has been trying to get answers from the province about the wage discrepancy, initially reaching out to her MHA John Abbott in late December. Her questions were then forwarded to Premier John Hogan, who was health minister at the time.

In a letter dated Jan. 15, which CBC News has reviewed, Hogan wrote the pay difference is because of the hiring requirements agency-based home care support workers have, which include first aid certification, medical clearance, tuberculin testing, reference checks and a certificate of conduct.

"Our government remains committed to reviewing compensation rates to ensure adequate compensation based on scope of employment and to align with funding models in other jurisdictions," Hogan wrote.

While King says first aid training should be required for anyone working with vulnerable clients, she said she can understand the reasoning she was given over wage discrepancies.

"OK, that's fine. That is an explanation to why I would get paid less, but what about those of us that do have those things?" she asked.

She said there are private home care workers like herself who do meet those requirements, adding she recently paid out of pocket to keep her first aid certification current.

Moreover, King said clients may not understand the different standards between private and agency home care workers and think they have the same skill sets.

King said she doesn't want to go back to working for an agency, but given the cost of living she might have to. Also on the table is leaving the profession altogether, she added, pointing to how minimum wage is approximately a dollar less than what she makes.

"There's a lot of jobs out there that are a lot less stressful, a lot closer to home and provide benefits," King said.

Ultimately, King said she would like to see additional benefits for private home care support workers and for her wages to keep pace with agency workers.

CBC News asked Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell for an interview. Instead, in a statement department spokesperson Jennifer Konieczny reiterated the requirements for agency-based home care workers.

"There are provincially established compensation rates for service providers in the Home Support Program," she wrote.

"The rate of pay for self-managed care providers is applied consistently to ensure equal pay for all self-managed care providers."

Konieczny added a wage compensation review is still underway and any changes will be communicated at an unspecified time.

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