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. Read more: Alberta Nurses Union Seeks Formal Mediation, “One Step Closer to Possible Professional Action” It appears that Alberta nurses are one step closer to a contractual agreement with Alberta Health Services. 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 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. 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. “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. “The Bargaining Committee strongly believes that this agreement will benefit all MEMBERS of the UNA and will also be fair to the people of Alberta.” “I respect the first and only clinical role that nurses have played – and continue to play – during the COVID pandemic,” Toews said in a statement Wednesday. 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).
Treasury Secretary Travis Toews says the deal, if approved, will lay the groundwork for long-term stability in the health care system while recognizing the work of nurses. 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. Read more: New proposal removes some reimbursements for nurses in Alberta as negotiations continue EDMONTON — A nurses union in Alberta is asking its members to sign a four-year collective agreement that includes 4.25% wage increases. The United Nurses of Alberta says progress has been made in negotiating a new collective agreement with Alberta Health Services. 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.” 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 impasse seemed to be heading towards a nurses` strike vote. “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.” “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.” The last four-year collective agreement with Alberta Health Services and UNA expired in the spring of 2020. “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. 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.
“This agreement recognizes their hard work and dedication, as well as the many sacrifices nurses have made since the beginning of the pandemic.” It was a terrible time for nurses and other health care workers in this province,” she said. The UNA, which represents 30,000 registered nurses and related health professionals, says the proposal is a reversal of the government`s previous position of cutting nurses` salaries as well as other cuts. This increase is part of the recommendations of a third party negotiating the agreement between Alberta Health Services and the United Nurses of Alberta. The AHS proposal “maintains the employer`s demand for the abolition of lump sum payments that would cost UNA members two percent per year 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. “I respect the first and only clinical role that nurses have played and continue to play during the COVID pandemic,” said Toews. .