The Ontario government’s announcement on wage subsidies for all frontline healthcare workers was welcome news to the IAM Union, which has been advocating for this long before the pandemic started.
The subsidy provides four dollars per hour worked on top of existing hourly wages, regardless of the qualified employee’s hourly wage. Further, employees working over 100 hours per month will receive lump-sum payments of $250 per month for each of the next four months. Therefore, eligible employees working an average of 40 hours per week will receive $3,560 in additional compensation. The payments apply to staff “working in long-term care homes, retirement homes, emergency shelters, supportive housing, social services congregate care settings, corrections institutions and youth justice facilities, as well as those providing home and community care and some staff in hospitals,” according to the announcement. Read more