Nurses union cancels bargaining over ‘far too disturbing’ offer

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This article was published 07/05/2021 (1231 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AS the province reports a staggering spike in patients admitted to intensive care units due to COVID-19, it also faces a breakdown in contract negotiations with the nurses who staff them.

The Manitoba Nurses Union said the province continues to disregard the dire situation of its members, prompting its bargaining team to cancel the most recent negotiation session Thursday.

An email from the union to its members — posted to social media Friday — called the province’s proposals “far too disturbing” to consider under current pandemic conditions.

“Critical nursing priorities are clearly not being addressed to date by the employer,” the email said.

In a statement to the Free Press, union president Darlene Jackson said its bargaining committee is pausing to consider whether continuing the current process will lead to “constructive and real progress towards properly addressing our critical nursing shortage and resolving nurses’ long-expired contract.”

Nurses have been without a contract for more than four years, and as the pandemic rolls on, the union has reported mass job vacancies in some regions. In the north, for example, nearly one in every two nursing slots is unfilled, prompting mandated redeployment, forced overtime and difficult work conditions, the union said.

Nurses offered to settle the contract disputes with the province through arbitration, to avoid any “disruption in service,” Jackson said, but it was refused.

“We are both dismayed and disappointed in the response, as we believe our reasonable request is the most responsible course of action,” she said. “Nurses know they are needed now more than ever, but they are exhausted and deserve more than empty platitudes from the government and employers.”

In a statement Saturday morning, health minister Heather Stefanson encouraged all sides to return to the bargaining table in pursuit of “a long term deal for our dedicated nurses – with fair and competitive compensation.”

Stefanson added the government has “actively encouraged” expedited bargaining and believes conversations to date have been constructive. The province said it is committed to returning to the table “in good faith” as soon as possible.

Meantime, nurses took to social media to express the grim situation behind hospital doors and encourage Manitobans to stay home, follow public health orders, and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The bargaining committee will continue to assess the situation, the union said, and will alert members when a decision is made.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers