Alberta nurses reach last-minute tentative deal to avoid strike

Just as nurses across Alberta were set to go on strike, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) reached a tentative deal with the provincial government.

With a minute left before nurses across Alberta were set to go on strike, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) reached a tentative deal with the provincial government.

”It’s been grueling. It’s been frustrating at times, because we sometimes don’t know who we’re bargaining with, so calls need to be made to get authorization,” said Sanda Azocar, AUPE president, at a press conference in Edmonton.

Azocar said negotiations would last most days until 11 p.m., but Friday’s lasted until 1 o’clock Saturday morning. She said the final call from the province came in Saturday morning, moments before the 8:30 a.m. strike deadline.

”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 labor movement,” said Azocar.

After almost 20 months of negotiations, in the final days leading up to the deal, 98 per cent of Alberta’s 16,000 health-care employees represented by the union, had voted in favour of a strike.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith addressed the settlement during her weekly radio show on Saturday.

”We’re very hopeful that with that recommendation that we will see an end to labour action,” she said. “There’s a lot of people up very late last night trying to bridge that final gap.”

The deal would see union members receive a three per cent wage increase each year, over four years – a 12 per cent wage increase.