Nurses, province still without deal as strike threat looms
Published Monday January 5th, 2009
The provincial government and the New Brunswick Nurses Union were still without a deal late Sunday after spending the weekend at the bargaining table with a special mediator.
Negotiations stretched into late Sunday evening as the two sides tried to reach an agreement that would prevent a strike action involving the 5,700 nurses working in New Brunswick's health-care facilities.
Nurses are in a legal strike position and are able to walk off the job with 24 hours of notice if the negotiations break down.
The union has already given the province the legally required seven days of notice. A meeting between the union's negotiating team and local presidents from across the province is scheduled tentatively for today.
The union could decide to use the meeting to co-ordinate a strike movement, or it could push the meeting back if the two sides are close to reaching a deal.
Many health-care facilities have contacted patients to let them know some non-critical medical procedures may be cancelled because of the strike action possibility.
Fredericton resident Nick Comeau was scheduled to have oral surgery this week, but he said that may not happen. He said he recently got a call from his doctor's office informing him the procedure could be postponed if the nurses walk out.
"They said that if the nurses go on strike, my surgery is cancelled," he said. "It's just frustrating because it's hard enough to get an appointment as it is. And then for it just to be cancelled is rough."
The main stumbling block involves shift premiums for nurses who work evenings and weekends.
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As salaried employees normally you don't get Overtime, however in this province we all know the time is needed and the time gets worked. This gives the nurses two options; have the time paid out or take the time in lieu
Here is where the issue is - since most nurses take the time in lieu the province doesn't have visibility to the amount they've worked beyond their salary. The nurse gets scheduled the time off and is paid, someone else covers (earning more OT), so payroll never sees it, thus neither does the budget commitee.
It's a common error when implementing Overtime in a salaried enviroment. The Nurses need their lieu option but until the province acknowledges what is happening it'll end up 1 of 2 ways; everyone gets paid for all their overtime or no more overtime permitted, and the province wants to do away with the first option.