Thursday, April 28, 2005
[IWS] CANADA: THE PAINS OF PRIVATIZATION: How Contracting Out Hurts Health Support Workers, Their Families, and Health Care [26 April 2005]
IWS Documented News Service
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Institute for Workplace Studies
School of Industrial & Labor Relations
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10016
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Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
The Pains of Privatization
How Contracting Out Hurts Health Support Workers, Their Families, and Health Care
by Jane Stinson, Nancy Pollak & Marcy Cohen
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/index.cfm?act=news&do=Article&call=1088&pA=BB736455&type=5
or
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/BC_Office_Pubs/bc_2005/pains_privatization.pdf
[full-text, 53 pages]
SUMMARY
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/BC_Office_Pubs/bc_2005/pains_priv_summary.pdf
[full-text, 5 pages]
Appendix 2
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/BC_Office_Pubs/bc_2005/pains_priv_app2.pdf
[full-text, 13 pages]
[excerpt]
This study investigates the experiences of 24 of these workers using qualitative, interview-based methods.
The workers are employed in housekeeping and food service jobs in the Greater Vancouver area and
represent the demographics of the workforce.
This study raises pointed questions about privatization: What does a society give up and take on
when cleaning, laundry, food, and security services in health care facilities are outsourced to transnational
corporations? What are the implications for the individual workers and their families? Are there
hidden costs for patients, workers, and communities? If so, what are these costs, and where and how
are they likely to surface?
The study concludes that conditions of work for these privatized workers are unacceptably harsh. In
most cases, income from the job leaves families living below the poverty line. Contracting out not only
endangers the health of these workers, but the well-being of their families and the patients they serve.
Press Release 26 April 2005
Wage cuts and contracting out of health support jobs harming workers and health care system: reports
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/index.cfm?act=news&call=1087&pa=BB736455&do=Article
[excerpt]
The Pains of Privatization: How Contracting Out Hurts Health Support Workers, their Families, and Health Care, by Jane Stinson, Nancy Pollak and Marcy Cohen, follows up on the contracting out of approximately 8,500 health support jobs and the resulting pay cut of more than 40%. It used in-depth interviews with 24 workers (cleaning and food preparation staff) now employed by private firms but working in public hospitals and long-term care facilities.
This study finds their working conditions to be unacceptably harsh and sub-standard in all respects: low pay, meagre benefits, heavy workloads, poor training, and no job security. Among the key findings:
* A privatized health support job in BC is virtually synonymous with poverty. More than three-quarters of those surveyed and all those with children have incomes below Statistics Canadas Low Income Cut-Off.
* Most of the people in this sample are immigrant women, the majority of whom (71%) have post-secondary educational credentials that would qualify them for better-paying jobs if not for the barriers that limit opportunities for internationally-trained professionals.
* Over 40% have at least one other job to help make ends meet.
* Understaffing, poor supervision and management policies result in nearly all participants describing their workload as hectic, exhausting and stressful. They often feel too rushed to work safely. Over four-fifths of participants report that their physical health is negatively affected by the job.
* Quality of care is being compromised. Participants in the study detail examples of inadequate training and supervision, and improper cleaning (including of rooms with antibiotic-resistant infections). Participants report that excessive workloads have eliminated time for contact with patients/residents, and in some facilities, the company prohibits talking with patients.
Good quality care depends on a well-trained and well-supported staff,says Marcy Cohen. Contracting-out is jeopardizing the health and well-being of workers, their families, and patients and residents in BC facilities.
Wage cuts and contracting out impact a group of peoplemainly womenwho are already economically vulnerable,says Marc Lee. Why do we require these workers to support families on less than $16 an hour, when the government itself admits that a higher wage is needed to provide a decent income in BC?
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