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Nurses in Alberta are one step closer to a possible strike after turning down the latest contract offer from the province.
On Wednesday, a majority of United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) members voted against the mediator’s recommendation for a new collective deal.
The union’s president Heather Smith believes it came down to respect for the 61 per cent of members who said no to the offer.
“The offer put to them did nothing to change that feeling of disrespect,” says Smith. “In terms of the government’s understanding of the vital role nurses and other healthcare workers play.”
Read more: Alberta government shifts continuing care from Health to Seniors Ministry
The two sides are far apart on compensation, with the government offering 12 per cent over four years, and the nurses wanting closer to 30 per cent over two years.
The union says their ask on compensation will allow them to catch up on the cost of living and what they’ve given up over the years for the benefit of the provincial budget.
Smith says it’s about more than money for most, with under-staffing and other issues plaguing the healthcare system.
“The beds they have in the hallways, the overcapacity, and that kinds of stuff,” says Smith. “Overall, we don’t have enough capacity to meet the needs of Albertans.”
In a statement to CityNews, the province says they are disappointed in the union’s decision but pledges to be back at the bargaining table.
“The deal would have made Alberta’s registered nurses the highest paid in Canada, created more capacity by hiring 1,000 new graduating nurses annually into full time positions, and tripled investment into recruiting to rural and remote health care locations,” reads the statement from finance minister Nate Horner.
Smith says the nurses are asking for further informal negotiations, and if that doesn’t happen they would begin the process to go through formal mediation before they could proceed to taking a strike vote.
The UNA represents nurses from Alberta Health Services (AHS), Recovery Alberta, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care Centre, and the Bethany Group.