A strike by Alberta nursing care workers has been averted just minutes before a deadline of 8:30 a.m.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) held a press conference at 11 a.m. in Edmonton to announce details of a tentative agreement between health-care workers represented by the union and Alberta Health Services (AHS).
AUPE President Sandra Azocar described the negotiations as “grueling,” adding that negotiations ran from Friday until 1 a.m. Saturday.
Some members had already gathered at picket stations Saturday morning before the AUPE sent out a release just after 9 a.m. saying the bargaining team had come to a tentative deal and that members were to return to work as directed by management.
“The road was not easy to get to this point,” Azocar told media on Saturday. “Very frustrating at times. But we learned and have grown stronger as a labour organization.
“This deal may not include 100 per cent of what we asked for, but it sets a new standard in health care and more broadly in the labour movement.”
No other details of the agreement were made available in the initial AUPE release, but lead negotiator Kate Robinson said on Saturday that the AUPE and AHS had agreed to a 12-per-cent wage increase over four years for all employees under the bargaining unit with pay made retroactive to April 1, 2024.
Market adjustments were also made in the case of licensed practical nurses and health-care aides. The wage grid for health-care aides was restructured to ensure some workers moved up the pay scale quicker, she added.
Prior to Saturday’s announcement that a tentative agreement had been reached, the union said there was a wage gap of about nine per cent between what the government last offered and what workers were demanding.
The province last offered a 12-per-cent wage increase over four years, the same increase the AUPE tentatively accepted. Robinson said the difference was in the agreement to include retroactive pay.
“The market adjustments (AHS) offered with significant retro-pay that we didn’t see at other bargaining tables, we believed that reflected the value that these workers add to the health-care system retroactively,” she said.
“Our members’ wages will go up significantly from (April 2024).”
Azocar and Robinson both noted that not everything had been settled in the tentative agreement. Work hour and scheduling concerns, for example, are set to enter arbitration.
“That issue was not resolved through this process, but we are confident that we will be able to present a compelling case at arbitration,” Robinson added.
Azocar said the primary concern of the AUPE locals representing health-care workers now is short-staffing and ensuring there is a “real and realistic human resource strategy” for recruitment and retention of workers.
Premier, finance minister statements
Alberta’s treasury board president and minister of finance Nate Horner issued a statement Saturday morning.
“Alberta’s government is very encouraged that Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) have reached a tentative agreement that will be recommended to their members. The strike has been averted.
“Both parties have worked extremely hard over the last several days to reach this outcome, and we appreciate their commitment to finding a path forward that supports stability in Alberta’s health care system.
“We respect the work of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Health Care Aides (HCAs), and they deserve a fair agreement. The settlement reflects strong wage offers for LPNs and HCAs to ensure Alberta’s pay remains competitive across Canada.
“We look forward to AUPE members having the opportunity to review and vote on the agreement. Member ratification is an important step in the bargaining process.”
On her radio show Saturday morning, Premier Danielle Smith said she was “pleased” to see AHS and the AUPE were not “that far apart” on coming to a tentative agreement.
Smith added that the final details of the agreement wouldn’t become available until the union’s local members had voted on it.
With files from The Canadian Press
