“I respect the unique clinical role nurses have played and continue to play during the COVID pandemic. This agreement recognizes their hard work and dedication and the many sacrifices nurses have made since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Toews. Among the recommendations is a salary increase over the duration of the four-year contract, which amounts to 4.15 percent, according to the union. The duration of the agreement would be from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2024. The four-year agreement also includes a recommendation for UNA members to receive a one-time lump sum payment of one percent for each hour worked in 2021 in recognition of their contributions during the pandemic. Two annual lump sums, which were a sticking point for AHS, are added to a remuneration grid. AHS`s revised proposal to the UNA includes a long-term contract for nurses, according to the provincial government. The proposal includes a wage freeze for the first three years and a modest wage increase for the fourth and fifth years of the term, Finance and Finance Minister Travis Toews said. The mediator`s recommendations follow lengthy negotiations in which AHS called for wage cuts and warned nurses that a strike would be considered. The United Nurses of Alberta says progress has been made in negotiating a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services.
The UNA represents more than 30,000 nurses and several other health care workers. The agreement also applies to UNA members working for Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care and The Bethany Group (Canmore). “This agreement recognizes the hard work and sacrifices of Alberta`s registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses during the pandemic,” UNA President Heather Smith said in a press release Wednesday. “It was a terrible time for nurses and other health care workers in this province,” she said. The UNA said it would meet with the mediator on Friday. Failure of mediation could result in a nurses` strike vote. Read more: UNA receives confirmation that Alberta is hiring contract nurses to address staff shortages The latest four-year collective agreement with Alberta Health Services and UNA expired in the spring of 2020. Toews said nurses are overpaid compared to other jurisdictions, which is about 5.6 percent more in comparison, and that those salaries can`t be maintained in a province trying to rebalance its budget.
Read more: Alberta Nurses Union seeks formal mediation, `one step closer to possible industrial action` Ahs proposal “upholds employer`s demand for abolition of lump sum payments that would cost UNA members two per cent in salaries and a letter of intent that would remove important planning protections for nurses,” the UNA said in an update on the negotiations on Tuesday. Other parts of the proposed contract include a one-time lump sum payment of one percent from 2021 “in recognition of nurses` contribution during the pandemic” and better psychological support. Thousands of Alberta nurses will receive an increase in funding if they ratify a proposed set of recommendations for a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services (AHS). “I am pleased that AHS has submitted a revised work proposal to the UNA in the hope of reaching a new collective agreement with nurses in the province,” Toews said in a statement Wednesday morning. In addition to the AIs and RNs used by AHS, the agreement covers those employed by Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care and The Bethany Group. UNA represents more than 30,000 RNs and LPNs in Alberta. “The recent steps taken by AHS to hire out-of-province contract nurses at much higher rates of pay than those in the UNA collective agreement show that the problem AHS faces is chronic, year-round and province-wide, not primarily in rural areas or simply due to the COVID-19 pandemic and seasonal staff vacations.” NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the government`s withdrawal was the result of the realization that trying to cut nurses` salaries during a health and staff crisis was “more than silly.” The United Nurses of Alberta Bargaining Committee is calling on union members to ratify a mediator`s recommendations for a new collective agreement with AHS. “Our members and their colleagues have kept Alberta`s health care system together, and it is a relief to have reached an agreement with the help of the government-appointed mediator.” “I think a lot of nurses have felt disrespected and insulted by the government and employers over the past couple of years,” UNA President Heather Smith said in an interview Thursday.
“I hope this deal will bring some relief.” Read more: New proposal removes some pay cuts for Alberta nurses as negotiations continue It appears that Alberta nurses are a little closer to a contractual agreement with Alberta Health Services. “This new proposal recognizes the hard work and dedication of Alberta`s nurses while respecting the difficult fiscal situation in which the province finds itself.” Do you want to discuss? Please read our comments policy first. “If this agreement is ratified, it will form the basis for the stability of the workforce in the health system.” When AHS was asked to comment, he said he had nothing to add except Toews` statement. Read more: United Nurses of Alberta says AHS is asking for a 4-year freeze on salaries and bonus buybacks The UNA said AHS negotiators contacted the union over the long weekend to say they had a new government mandate to change their bargaining proposals before formal mediation began. Smith said the next step is a meeting with local union leaders on January 7, 2022. If it goes well, the union proposes that members vote for the ratification of the agreement 10 days later, on January 17. Toews acknowledged that there were still a number of points to be negotiated, but added that he hoped the two sides would continue to work together to reach “a fair and reasonable agreement.” “Alberta can no longer afford to be an outlier,” Toews said in a July 6 statement. Smith said she believes the conditions and pressures created by the pandemic have brought AHS.
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