Nurses trying to undermine contract, N.L. health boards claim
10.10.2008 20:05
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
The boards managing Newfoundland and Labrador's hospitals say they had no choice but to get tough with nurses, following a union decision to scale back what work its members would do. The Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union on Thursday claimed that its members are being intimidated with disciplinary action, amid the union's call for its members to stop doing what it calls "non-nursing" work. But John Peddle, president of the Health Boards Association, said Friday the union itself put its own members in a precarious position. "What the memo from the Nurses' Union does is basically encouraging the nurses to violate the collective agreement," Peddle told CBC News. "We as employers have an obligation to advise individual employees before they say, 'Don't show up and do a particular duty [at] midnight' … they could be putting themselves in a situation where they could be open to disciplinary action by the employer," Peddle said in an interview. On Thursday, the Nurses' Union ramped up a campaign against the Newfoundland and Labrador government and its health boards by refusing to carry out a further series of tasks, including running routine samples to labs, booking routine appointments and calling in other nurses to fill vacant shifts. In September, the nurses agreed to stop doing housekeeping and other chores. The Nurses' Union has insisted that the duties identified so far are never supposed to be part of a nurse's workload, but have become so because of chronic shortages among support staff. Speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon, Nurses' Union president Debbie Forward said recent directives from managers crossed the line. "Employers can threaten us, they can intimidate us, which is what they're doing right now in our workplaces," Forward said. "Nurses are feeling very threatened and intimidated, and you know what? They're very angry." The Nurses' Union and the government have been locked in a bargaining impasse for months heading toward a new contract. The government has said it wants nurses and other public-sector workers to accept the same four-year deal negotiated with the Canadian Union of Public Employees this summer. CUPE members accepted a wage package of just over 20 per cent over four years. The Nurses' Union's opening position, however, is much more ambitious. In addition to benefits claims, the union is seeking 12 per cent per year over two years, plus an overhaul of opening and top salary scales. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksN.L. nurses say employers threatening discipline over job actionAudio Chris O'Neill-Yates interviews John Peddle for the St. John's Morning Show (Runs: 7:28) Play: Real Media »Video Nurses' union president Debbie Forward speaks with reporters (Runs: 15:59)Play: QuickTime »Play: Real Media »Health HeadlinesEconomic downturn poses threat to mental health: WHO The added stress of a global economic downturn could lead to a rise in mental health problems, the World Health Organization said Friday.Morgentaler receives Order of Canada in Quebec CityAbortion-rights activist Dr. Henry Morgentaler received his Order of Canada award on Friday at a ceremony in Quebec City.Strep strain not a widespread threat: health officialsA potentially deadly strain of streptococcal infections that contributed to the deaths of 10 people in northwestern Ontario doesn't pose a widespread threat, the province's chief medical officer of health says.Most recent listeria finding 'very, very low,' says Maple Leaf CEO Maple Leaf's CEO says the most recent findings of listeria at the company's Toronto plant are a sign its testing system is working.Nobel Prize winner George Palade, cell biology pioneer, dies at 95Dr. George Palade, who won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 for his work discovering and studying the components of cells, has died. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHNobel PrizeFrom Alfred's willISSUE WATCHHealth careWhy MDs are scarce and what can be done about itHEALTHPsychologyInside the endurance athlete's mindHEALTH CAREMapNursing homes across CanadaHEALTHTuberculosisAnatomy of a killerCHILD PSYCHOLOGYPoliticians' behaviourHow do we explain it to our kids?People who read this also read …
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