David Harrigan, UNA`s director of industrial relations, says the email did not specify the rates AHS expects to pay to contract nurse recruitment agencies, but it will likely be much more than nurses currently do. AHS claimed in the complaint that the union negotiated in bad faith by making public statements that AHS was in talks with Greenstaff Medical Canada and other external recruiters to hire registered nurses working in Alberta at significantly higher prices than those paid under the UNA collective agreement. “If you`re a nurse who has been working 16 hours a day for 16 months and the employer says you`re not good enough and I`m cutting your salary to hear that they`re now bringing in agency nurses who will earn between $55 and $75 an hour, which is about $25 more, what does the senior registered nurse deserve it, there is simply no better way for this government to say that we have absolutely no respect for nurses,” Harrigan 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 UNA says nurses have not received any increases in the past five years. The union is currently in contract negotiations with the province and is seeking formal mediation. Alberta is working with recruitment agencies outside the province to hire contract nurses as hospitals struggle with staff shortages and full beds due to the growing fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nurses have been working 16 hours a day for 16 months,” revised. Their employer said, “Thank you. By the way, we will reduce your salaries. “And now they turn around and bring in people who are going to pay them $55 to $75 an hour,” Harrigan said. “There`s simply no better way to show the public and nurses that they have no respect for health care.” Nurses and CSOs have been negotiating contracts for over a year.
The government is asking nurses to cut their salaries by three per cent, arguing that the province needs to get its finances back on track. “I urge both parties to continue to work together in good faith as they consider settlement options that respect the work of Alberta`s nurses and the financial pressures facing our province,” said Toews. “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: Alberta Nurses Union seeks formal mediation, “one more step toward potential collective action” David Harrigan, UNA`s director of industrial relations, said nurses were exhausted. 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). 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). “It is outrageous that AHS, under the leadership of the Alberta government, is proposing to cut the salaries of the nurses it already employs and threatening to lay off hundreds more while paying more to nurses hired by the Canadian branch of a Texas-based multinational recruitment agency. “This certainly calls into question the government-wide demand to cut nurses` salaries when Alberta Health Services appears poised to sign a contract to pay well above the current rate of pay in some cases,” Smith said Friday. Read more: UNA receives confirmation that Alberta is hiring contract nurses to address staff shortages AHS said the decision to hire contract nurses from recruitment agencies was a “last resort.” The UNA said it received an email Friday from Kim LeBlanc, the chief negotiator for Alberta Health Services, informing the union that “AHS, as permitted by our current practice and collective agreement, will use contract resources to resolve short-term contractual issues” during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We specialize in nurses to provide the highest quality service to our nurses and clients. Our experienced team understands the unique needs, opportunities and challenges of the industry.
Whether you`re a nurse looking for your next opportunity or a healthcare facility looking for a new nurse, we`re here to help you find the perfect solution. Starting a new job can make anyone nervous, but travel nurses usually change facilities several times a year, often to new cities they`ve never been to. Travel nursing care is . The head of the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) says it is “more than insulting” that Alberta Health Services (AHS) is considering hiring contract nurses to fill staffing gaps, saying they are being offered more money than current nurses facing pay cuts. “It`s not uncommon for [hospitals] to be overcapacity and understaffed. You know, in a way, I can understand why AHS has to hire contractors because it`s a real crisis,” he told CBC News. But the answer is to sit back and say. How can we retain employees instead of abusing current employees? Wood did not confirm that the salaries offered to nurses would be offered, nor did he say how many AHS would be needed. The United Nurses of Alberta says the province is hiring contract nurses to address the severe shortage of staff in hospitals. “And to hear that our government and our employers are actually involved in negotiations to get resources from other places and pay them more than Alberta nurses are – it`s more than insulting.” The union that represents nurses in Alberta says it is “alarmed” that Alberta Health Services (AHS) is considering hiring contract nurses to fill staffing gaps, while AHS says it has not contractually agreed to the measure. It appears that Alberta nurses are one step closer to contracting with Alberta Health Services. According to Williamson, Greenstaff Medical turned to AHS and only “preliminary discussions” took place, but no contract was signed.
“I respect the most important and unique clinical role nurses have played and continue to play during the COVID pandemic. This agreement recognizes their hard work and dedication, as well as the many sacrifices nurses have made since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Toews. Our goal is to always cover shifts using existing bargaining unit members and fill our vacancies in hard-to-recruit areas by hiring qualified candidates, rather than relying on agency nurses,” Williamson said. AHS works with Toronto-based Greenstaff Medical Canada, Vancouver`s Brylu Staffing and Airdrie, Alberta`s Northern Nursing Solutions, the nurses` union said in a news release. Read more: New proposal removes some pay cuts for nurses in Alberta as negotiations continue UNA President Heather Smith said some union members have been contacted by Toronto-based Greenstaff Medical Canada to ask if they would like to work at AHS facilities on a contractual basis. Travis Toews, Minister of Finance and Minister of Finance, said in a statement that he was grateful for the work nurses are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. “They publicly accused the UNA of being dishonest because we said they were in talks with contract nurses. And then Friday. They wrote to us that they were in discussion,” Harrigan said. The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), the union that represents more than 30,000 nurses in the province, said it was informed Friday by Alberta Health Services (AHS) that the province plans to hire contractors immediately to address the staff shortage.
“This is a last resort, as our local pool of nurses is almost exhausted,” AHS said. The union says nurses hired by greenstaff were offered $55 an hour for general acute care and up to $75 an hour for intensive care and emergency care, while current AHS nurses are paid between $36.86 and $48.37 per hour. They would also receive shift differences, weekend bonuses, health benefits and housing allowances, the union said. The UNA said AHS has now committed to disclosing when it signs a contract with recruitment agencies, but has not said how much it expects to pay contract nurses. 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 union is currently calling for a two per cent pay rise, saying nurses have not received a raise in five years; AHS offered a salary refund of three percent. Our team at AHS NurseStat is here to bring together extraordinary nurses with exceptional opportunities. As the top 10 travel nurse recruitment agencies, we are committed to helping nurses find the highest-paid travel assignments that match their personal and professional ambitions. We go above and beyond to help you find your dream job. “It was a terrible, terrible time for nurses and other health care workers in this province,” she said. Read more: Nurses Union calls Alberta Treasury Secretary hypocritical in contract negotiations We work with the best health care facilities and hospitals in the United States to provide you with the best opportunities.
This means that our job board is filled with tens of thousands of incredible opportunities in different locations, specialties and types of facilities to offer our nurses options tailored to their needs. .