EDMONTON – The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) has filed a province-wide grievance against Alberta Health Services (AHS) demanding the agency reverse all recent layoffs and stop future layoffs.
The grievance was submitted to AHS Monday.
“The layoffs have been across the province, but the majority, in Calgary and Edmonton,” says UNA’s Second Vice-President Jane Sustrik.
UNA says about 200 nurses (LPNs and RNS) have been laid off since the beginning of the year.
However, AHS says the layoffs are a technical requirement of transferring Registered Nurses to areas where they’re most needed.
“The layoffs are a technical requirement that we must take a step under the collective agreement that we currently work with,” explains Deb Gordon, Chief Nursing and Health Professions Officer with AHS. “So when we need to make a change to our workforce, we’re required to issue a layoff notice as a first step in working with our staff to move them to the areas of highest need in the system.”
She confirms about 200 layoff notices have been issued, but says all impacted staff have the opportunity to be hired in another equal position at the same pay level.
“They’re immediately given that choice as to other positions that they can take within the system, so they will have uninterrupted employment,” says Gordon.
“We have at this point in time, over 375 open positions for nurses across Alberta Health Services.”
Gordon adds that the changes are being made to improve patient care.
“Registered Nurses are a scarce resource in the system, and we’re working really hard to make sure we have our Registered Nurses in the places where we really need them to be to deliver the care that they are uniquely educated and skilled to deliver.”
“The changes that we’re making are designed to enhance patient care. For example, one of the things we’re trying to do in the system is create more full time positions.”
She says the changes are not intended to substitute RNs with LPNs or health care aids.
“It means Registered Nurses doing the work that they’ve been educated and skilled to do, it means having Licensed Practical nurses doing the same, and it means having Health Care Aids doing the same.”
However, Sustrik disagrees. She says the changes will impact patient care.
“Clearly, the quality of patient care is going down. The programs that we are seeing cuts to is to palliative home care in Calgary – so highly skilled specialized nursing care that’s given to people in end stations of life as well as pediatric care in Edmonton.”
UNA is concerned that it continues to receive notifications of layoffs at hospitals – including three Registered Nurses at the University of Alberta hospital last week – despite audited AHS documents showing a $106 million budget surplus during the 2012/2013 fiscal year.
“It’s the fact that they are laying off nurses, or having position elimination, and closing services or decreasing services while at the same time, showing over $100 million surplus in their budget,” adds Sustrik.
“Layoffs like these latest announcements in Edmonton continue to add up to a serious problem that is certain to have an impact on patient safety and the quality of care that can be provided here and at hospitals undergoing similar layoffs throughout Alberta,” said Sustrik.
The layoffs have affected a number of hospitals across the province including the Edmonton Glenrose Rehabilitation, U of A, Stollery Children’s and Royal Alexandra.
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