Registered nurses getting 2% annual raises, $2K bonuses in new collective agreement
CBC
Registered nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador will have more money and flexibility in a new contract that was officially ratified Monday, according to the Department of Health and Community Services.
The agreement between the Registered Nurses' Union and the provincial government was struck on July 1, and members have been voting on the deal throughout the month.
On Monday, the province released some contract details, including two per cent pay raises each year from 2022 to 2026, and a one-time bonus of $2,000 for each of the union's 5,800 members.
"We are happy that the Registered Nurses' Union Newfoundland and Labrador has ratified this agreement, which provides a compensation package that is competitive with other provinces," said Health Minister Tom Osborne in a press release.
The new contract also includes:
Osborne said the contract is one step in improving Newfoundland and Labrador's health-care system, which has been plagued by staffing shortages and has become heavily reliant on travel nursing agencies at much higher costs than full-time nurses.
"While this agreement will help with retention and bring stability to the health care system, we continue to work on bringing more nurses into the system," he said in the release. "Our recruitment programs are working, and we look forward to more nurses filling vacancies this year and working with the RNUNL to improve work-life balance."
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