Union wants details
CUPE boss wants more info on nursing home contracts
The head of the provincial branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) called on the provincial government to release more information about privatizing nursing homes.
Wayne Lucas, president of CUPE NL, told The Telegram Thursday it’s ironic the government is marking Right to Know Week without releasing details about public-private partnerships to build four long-term care facilities.
“They’re not very open or transparent when it comes to discussing public-private partnerships,” said Lucas.
The issue of privatization was the focus of a leaders’ debate sponsored by the Newfoundland and Labrador Registered Nurses’ Union last week.
“You wouldn’t take your credit card out and take a mortgage out on your house and pay for it with your credit card. You’d go to a bank and you’d say to the bank, ‘I want to get the best possible rate.’ We’re of the belief that public-private partnerships do exactly that (pay with a credit card), when they build infrastructure underneath that scheme.”
With contracts possibly being signed as early as next week, it’s an urgent issue, said Lucas.
“We don’t know who has put a bid in. We don’t know any of the terms of reference. We don’t know what type of schedule is there,” he said.
Compounding the issue, said Lucas, is the upcoming provincial election.
“I hope I’m wrong on this one, but when this government gets turfed, that whoever takes over from this government, they may tell you right now that they’re opposed to public-private partnerships, but when they take over … they’ll say, ‘Well, unfortunately the contract is written in such a fashion that we can’t back away from it now.’”