Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Alberta registered nurses could soon find themselves on the picket line as recent negotiations with the province settle over pay and staffing disagreements.
David Harrigan, director of labor relations for the United Nurses of Alberta, says informal mediation meetings last month were productive but the gap between the two sides appears too great to bridge.
“Unfortunately, I think the gulf is a little too big,” Harrigan said in an interview earlier this week.
The union, which represents more than 30,000 registered nurses, is seeking a 30 per cent pay increase over two years while the Alberta government’s fixed offer is 7.5 per cent over four years.
Harrigan said the two sides also find themselves far apart on operational issues, specifically staff shortages and how to manage the resulting workplace conditions.
“I think both (sides) recognize that there are some real, serious, serious problems,” he said.
“It’s just that we have completely different views on how to solve those problems.”
Harrigan said the province wants to remove an existing contract clause that requires Alberta Health Services to try to fill vacancies within the bargaining unit before hiring outside candidates.
“They want to say that article doesn’t apply for a year and (Alberta Health Services) gets to hire whoever they want,” Harrigan said.
“We think the way to do things is to improve working conditions and then you will be able to recruit people.”
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Increasing nurses’ pay is a significant part of improving working conditions, Harrigan said, especially since wages have not kept up with inflation.
“They have a huge recruitment problem,” he said. “Why on earth would they think that offering less entitlements and (wage) rises that are less than the cost of living would be the way to address that?”
Since 2013, Alberta nurses have received a combined 11.5 per cent pay increase and five years of pay freezes.
More than half of that pay rise took place before 2018.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said Thursday that she could not speak to the issues Harrigan highlighted, as discussions were ongoing.
“We must bargain in good faith,” he told reporters. “I know that each side usually starts with a position and they land somewhere that is acceptable to all sides.”
The union has arranged a meeting for next week when representatives from each of the affected local areas will be asked for guidance on the next steps. Harrigan said that could mean reconsidering the government’s standing offer, proceeding with formal mediation or possibly a strike vote.
Before a strike vote, the union and the province would need to go through formal mediation. But Harrigan said he believed that process would be short-lived, considering that a “very intensive” informal mediation process had proved unsuccessful.
In the event of a strike, Albertans would still have access to emergency medical care, due to an essential services agreement signed by both parties.
The agreement ensures that some nurses remain at work throughout the strike to ensure patient safety.
It also requires both parties to maintain open channels of communication in the event of an emergency, so that additional nursing staff can be called in.
Nurses are not the only workers currently bargaining with the province.
The Alberta Provincial Employees Union and the approximately 82,000 public servants and hospital support staff it represents are seeking a new contract.
That union is seeking raises of 26 per cent over three years and the Alberta government has countered with 7.5 per cent over four years.
LaGrange said Thursday that the government is negotiating with every health care union in the province.
He said that if there were widespread strikes, the government would have mitigation plans in place.
“But I really believe that the parties at the table are in good faith, bargaining in good faith, and I believe that everyone wants to come to a good decision about it.”
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://globalnews.ca/news/10792536/alberta-nurses-union-mediation/
