Nurses union, AHS exchange words about use of third party nurses
The United Nurses of Alberta says Alberta Health Services is trying to distract the public from a dire staffing situation in hospitals.
"I think what's happened is they got caught doing something that they're embarrassed that they were doing and so they're making up stories," said David Harrigan with United Nurses of Alberta (UNA).
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Alberta Labour Relations Board saying the UNA is falsely claiming registered nurses are being recruited through a third party Greenstaff Medical.
The UNA says ads posted by recruiters are publicly on display and it's reached out to AHS for clarification on what exactly is being misrepresented.
The United Nurses of Alberta says AHS has not yet responded.
The union says Alberta Health Services is trying to distract from the fact staffing shortages at Alberta Hospitals go far beyond regular vacation requests.
"They are unable to staff the hospitals to the point that they're relying now on agency nurses," said Harrigan.
"And while they're doing that the agency nurses will be paid 55 to 70 dollars an hour, and AHS is saying to their current nurses we expect you to take a five per cent rollback. None of this makes any sense."
"Our goal is to always cover shifts by using existing staff, and to fill our vacancies in areas hard to recruit to by hiring qualified candidates rather than relying on agency nurses," an AHS statement said.
AHS says it is not exploring a contract with Greenstaff Medical and staff supplied by agencies are only used as a last resort to prevent disruption of services.
The UNA says AHS is also refusing to schedule a meeting with the labour board regarding the complaint before January.
In the statement AHS says that's not true, and it's prepared to meet at the earliest opportunity.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.