Strike vote looms for Alberta nurses union as informal mediation talks unsuccessful

Alberta’s nurses could soon find themselves on the picket line as recent talks with the province foundered over disagreements over how much to pay and recruit them.

David Harrigan, the United Nurses of Alberta director of labour relations, said informal mediation meetings last month were productive but said the gap between the two sides seems too big to bridge.

“Unfortunately I think the gulf is just too big,” Harrigan said in an interview.

The union, which represents more than 30,000 nurses, is seeking 30 per cent pay raises spread over two years while the Alberta government’s standing offer is 7.5 per cent over four years.

Harrigan said the two sides also find themselves far apart on operational issues, specifically staffing shortages and how to manage the workplace conditions created as a result.

“I think both (sides) recognize there are some real, serious, serious problems,” he said.

“It’s just that we have completely different views on how to solve those problems.”

Harrigan said the province wants to remove an existing contract clause that requires Alberta Health Services to try and fill job vacancies from within the bargaining unit before hiring outside candidates.

“They want to say that article does not apply for one year and (Alberta Health Services) gets to hire whoever they want,” Harrigan said.

“We think the way to do things is improve the job conditions and then you’ll be able to recruit people.”

Bumping pay for nurses is a significant part of improving job conditions, Harrigan said, especially since wages have not kept pace with inflation.

“They’re having a huge recruitment problem,” he said. “Why on Earth would they think that offering people less rights and (salary) increases that are less than the cost of living would be the way to address that?”

Since 2013 Alberta’s nurses have received a combined wage increase of 11.5 per cent and five years of wage freezes.

More than half of that pay increase was obtained before 2018.

The province, in a statement, said, “It is our hope that (Alberta Health Services) and the United Nurses work collaboratively towards settlements that work for all parties to deliver health care.”

The union has scheduled a reporting meeting for next week where delegates from each affected local will be asked for direction on next steps.

Harrigan said that direction could be to reconsider the government’s standing offer or proceed with formal mediation and potentially a strike vote.

Before having a strike vote the union and the province will need to go through formal mediation, but Harrigan said he thinks that process would be short-lived considering a “really intense” informal mediation process proved unsuccessful.

If a strike does occur, Albertans will still have access to emergency medical care in an essential services agreement signed by the two parties.

It ensures some nurses remain on the job throughout a strike in order to ensure the safety of patients.

The agreement also requires both parties to maintain open communication channels in the event of an emergency so that additional nursing staff can be called in.