Nurses' union says its members are being passed over in favour of more expensive travel nurses
CBC
Travel nurses provided by private agencies are being given shifts before full-time and casual nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the union that represents registered and practical nurses in the province.
Yvette Coffey, president of the Registered Nurses' Union Newfoundland and Labrador said she doesn't understand why the health authority would choose the most expensive option for nursing when a less expensive one is available.
"Why would you pay overtime to a travel agency nurse who's making double the salary of the registered nurse under our union contract versus paying overtime to our member or a casual who is the cheapest option in the collective agreement?" asked Coffey, whose union represents more than 5,800 registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
The nurses' union says it has filed "a group/policy grievance" over agency nurses getting shifts before its members and six other grievances have been made on behalf of individual union members. The union later clarified that 18 grievances have been filed on behalf of individual members.
"As a union we've been having discussions with N.L. Health Services and filing grievances as appropriate and we've resolved it in some cases," said Coffey.
Health Department documents acquired by CBC News through an access-to-information request in the spring estimated that using travel nurses to cover gaps in the health-care system would cost $18.4 million over 12 months, compared with $4.1 million employing nurses already in the system.
"Why would you not use a casual nurse or even our permanent staff versus paying that money? That's taxpayers' money that could be better spent on the people who are actually living and staying here in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Coffey.
She's urging the province to choose nurses represented by the union over those provided by nurse agencies.
"The government's first priority should be the employees of Newfoundland and Labrador and not a private company," she said.
The province says it has been forced to use travel nurses because Newfoundland and Labrador is struggling with a severe nursing shortage. The union says the last vacancy report it saw, in April, listed 746 vacancies. In a statement to CBC News, the Health Department says the province has hired 310 nurses since then.
In June, Health Minister Tom Osborne said he hoped travel nurses would soon be unnecessary.
"Globally there is a shortage of health-care professionals, so it is a necessary evil at the moment. I cannot wait to get rid of travel nursing in this province, but that means we need to recruit nurses," Osborne said at the time.
Coffey said N.L. Health Services' staffing practices are inconsistent with the minister's stated goal of ending the use of travel nurses.
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