On Wednesday, 160 health-care support workers went on strike at Ten Ten Sinclair, a housing company in the city catering to individuals with different physical disabilities.
The strike has made tenants at the company’s Forkus properties feel neglected and unsupported.
Kristianna Huege, a Fokus tenant, mentioned, “Since Wednesday, I have only received one shower assistance. Otherwise, I’ve been trying to do sponge baths myself. It’s been very difficult.”
Tenants have reported increased anxiety due to the lack of support, particularly when facing challenging tasks like getting out of bed and emptying foley bags.
“I fear being left in bed without any help or communication for hours or days,” expressed Lisa Quiring, a tenant.
As a temporary solution, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) has brought in additional workers to cover the gaps from the strike. However, tenants feel that staffing is still insufficient and many of their specific needs are not being addressed, leading them to assist the workers themselves.
“They approached me and asked, ‘What needs to be done, who do we need to look after?’ All of this should have been organized and taken care of, but evidently, it fell through,” stated resident Lori Ross.
Lori Ross mentioned that many residents were unaware of the situation, leaving them feeling that there should have been better communication.
Meanwhile, Nolan Smith, a resident, perceives this as a result of the company deviating from its original focus on independent living.
“It has turned into a top-down management system where we’re being told when to go to bed and when to have breakfast,” Smith remarked.
Global News attempted to contact the company for a comment, but no statement has been received so far.
The tenants are hopeful for a prompt resolution to the strike and express a desire for more involvement in managing their living situation to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
— With files from Global’s Katherine Dornian
