Unions ensure better care standards

Name: Deki Tsering

Occupation: Dietary Aid

Employer: Westminster House Retirement Community

Union: BCGEU

For Deki Tsering, it’s the little things that are the most rewarding part of her job, and being a part of a union. “It’s the little things I know about them, that I will do for them,” says Deki. “I know it’s not part of my job routine, but I know it makes their day.” For Deki and her colleagues, being a part of a union workplace creates an environment that allows them to go that extra mile.

“It gives us a sense of camaraderie that you wouldn’t find in most work places,” she says. Rather than higher wages, for the staff at Westminster House being a part of a union means knowing they have someone to help you out and to stand behind them. “In so many other places they can take advantage of workers, but in unions you have a backing.”

Deki has been a member for six years, and serves as the steward for Westminster House. As a stewart at her work site, she depends on the valuable training she gets from her union to be a better leader at her worksite. She’s able to talk to her fellow cookers and reassure them about aspects of their work. And all that training at the end of the day leads to more respect from her employers. “Knowledge is power,” says Deki.

Having a union also means better care for residents. “Without the union there would be a lot less jobs, and people would be exploited without the Union. Not only the workers, but the residents as well.”  Deki says that for the time residents spend at Westminster House is their final experience for them. “This is it for them, this is their end-of-life care. If you’re going after workers, you’re sacrificing their care.”

For more information about joining BCGEU, call 604-882-0111 or visit www.bcgeu.ca.