MONTREAL -- "When it is more profitable to flip burgers than to provide care or services, I think we have questions to ask ourselves," said Sylvie Nelson, president of the FTQ-affiliated Syndicat québécois des employés de service (SQEES), during her appearance Tuesday at the hearings of coroner Gehane Kamel on the deaths of elderly or vulnerable people in residential facilities during the first wave of COVID-19.

She railed against private long-term care facilities, which "exploit an underpaid workforce" and "charge exorbitant prices for à la carte care" in order to make a profit.

With only 28 per cent of its members working full-time, some at minimum wage, and many having to support their families outside the country, "these people often work two jobs," she lamented. 

Because of the reduced staffing, in private practice, "the orderlies, they're dispensing medications, giving injections, changing dressings, putting on compression stockings," which is normally the job of the higher-paid nursing assistants.

Nelson says the savings also come in the form of staff training. To become an attendant in a public CHSLD, "you need an 870-hour [Diploma of Vocational Studies]". The accelerated training announced by François Legault's government during the pandemic was about 375 hours, which is still more important than the 360 hours required in a private CHSLD.

UNION FEARS

"There are so many workers who are afraid to speak out," Nelson said, citing employer intimidation tactics, "that it can go wrong pretty quickly in those environments."

As for employees who are already unionized, Nelson said her hands are tied by essential service status, which limits strikes to 10 per cent of work time. "How then do you have bargaining power?"

"There were employers who were telling workers, 'well, stay out,' employers who were in the windows, watching the world strike and laughing at them."

The coroner's inquest is looking at deaths of elderly or vulnerable people that occurred in residential settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Feb. 25 to July 11, 2020, Quebecers aged 70 and older accounted for 92 per cent of deaths from COVID-19, according to data from Quebec's public health institute (INSPQ).

The goal of the inquest is not to point fingers, but to make recommendations to prevent future tragedies.

Six CHSLDs and one residence for the elderly were chosen as a sample. One death was examined for each establishment. Since Nov. 1, the coroner has been looking into the provincial management of the crisis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 9, 2021. 

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This article was produced with financial support from Facebook and The Canadian Press News Fellowships.