Nurses across Alberta could begin leaving the profession in droves if their employer doesn’t begin to negotiate seriously, says one Slave Lake RN who represents community health nurses. Maureen Emes, a United Nurses of Alberta rep in Slave Lake, was reacting to a mediator’s report that suggests regional health authorities should be able to re-locate nurses anywhere within the region as long as it’s within 50 kilometres of their usual job location.
But if an emergency arises, they’ll be able to ask for volunteers, and if there are none, insist that nurses work at an alternate facility. Even if that means a Slave Lake nurse is sent to Jasper – or Cold Lake.
As well, the mediator’s report doesn’t think it’s unfair to ask nurses to work evening or night shifts permanently – again if there’s an emergency.
But what upsets Emes the most is the clause that mediator Alan Beattie supports that removes part-time nurses’ assurance for time off.
What they’re proposing – and the mediator accepted, she says “is like sending nursing back to the Dark Ages. Sometimes they’ll have to work seven days a week. This is no democracy. “They’re trying to take away all those things we worked so hard to get for part-timers many years ago.” In fact, the new contract proposals, she says, will make older nurses retire sooner, and young nurses go elsewhere when they’re looking for a job. “They tell us that in three years, 30 per cent of current nurses will retire. There’s already a shortage of nurses, so how do they propose to replace those (retiring) nurses when conditions are so terrible?”
Emes has been nursing for 34 years and says the proposal could push back nursing conditions a decade – at least.
UNA will ask RNs across the province to vote on the new proposal in September. But it’ll also be urging them to reject the mediator’s report – even though he warned that it’d be highly unlikely that arbitration would go their way, should talks break down.
“And this mediator also happens to be the province’s top arbitrator,” adds Bev Dick, UNA’s vice president.
She says UNA is “being punished for receiving such a good settlement last time around.” Asked why she thinks that’s happening, the VP says the province’s autocratic mentality is definitely showing. That is, she thinks Premier Ralph Klein and his employees have little time for unions. “They’re trying to bully us.”
But all these references to ‘emergencies’ are ludicrous, “smoke and mirrors,” she says, because “if there’s ever any type of emergency and they need our help, all they have to do is call us and we’ll be there. In fact, there are already agreements in place for that.”
And as for moving nurses from location to location to cover shortages is concerned, Dick says that’s been proven unsafe for both nurses and their patients.
“The more experience a nurse has in one spot, the better it is for patient outcome. Nurses work as a team, and you have to know your team members, or otherwise you’re creating an environment that’s unsafe for patients.
“Every day I have nurses tell me they’ll leave before they’ll accept these working conditions. And I think we’ll see a mass exodus of those between the ages of 45 and 55 too” if the employer chooses not to negotiate with nurses.
“Some will retire even earlier if these changes are rammed down our throats.”
Dick says the province is already facing a continued nursing shortage, “because the number of nurses we’re educating is not enough to replace those that are leaving each year.”
And the longer the matter goes without resolution, the more threatened nurses will feel.
Nurses have been without a contract since Mar. 31 of this year. Both sides have already agreed on raises that are expected to be 3.5 per cent for the first year and three per cent in the next two years.

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