Union battle over health jobs

But AHS, minister are denying accusations of pending layoffs

Alberta Health Services and the health minister are denying union accusations staff are being laid off as part of a sweeping streamlining effort.

Workers at various medical centres across the province are being laid off, including general support and cleaning staff, while some are being re-assigned, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees president Guy Smith said Thursday.

“We’ve heard from members in all parts of the province ... these are layoffs,” said Smith, adding Calgary has been affected.

“We understand they could be quite significant — whether they get redeployed or get their hours cut, we’re not clear yet, but it all adds up to a loss of care.”

Both AHS and the provincial government said Thursday no job losses among unionized employees will occur through a program dubbed Operational Best Practise that seeks to find efficiencies.

“There will be no involuntary loss of employment of unionized employees,” says a statement released by AHS.

“AHS has made that commitment to all union partners. Any changes are being made through attrition and redeployment.”

They say union agreements forbid them from pursuing layoffs or redeployments without prior notice.

Health Minister Sarah Hoffman also challenged the union’s accusation of layoffs.

“This is incorrect,” she said in a statement.

“There will be no cuts to frontline workers or patient care as we work with AHS and our partners to deliver health services as efficiently and effectively as possible.

“AHS needs to ensure it manages existing staff and resources appropriately. But I have been clear – there will be no cuts, just as I have also been clear that we need to find ways to slow the rate of spending growth.”

Smith rejected the assurances, saying his union was taken by surprise by the measures, first hearing about them last week.

“We never got disclosure of this happening in bargaining, if we had we would have sought very strong language to deal with it,” he said.

He said there’s a sense of betrayal with a government that’s made assurances health and education would be spared austerity measures, even amid mounting budget red ink.

“It seems like a divergence from the platform; I don’t think Albertans signed up for this,” said Smith, who compared the environment to the early 1990s when the Klein Tories deeply slashed government services to balance the books.

Sources have told Postmedia that at recent meetings with staff AHS officials said they “may revise staffing models and mixes to meet the needs of the organization.”

Late last month, United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith reported on the union’s website that meetings with AHS officials left her alarmed, with plans afoot to eliminate the equivalent of 520 full-time registered nursing positions in hospitals throughout the province.

“One million less registered nursing hours under the guise of operational best practices! In addition, another 900,000 hours will be removed from other care providers,” stated Smith in a post that’s since been removed from the website.

Officials with the UNA and other unions wouldn’t comment on the situation and the AHS strongly denies such measures will be taken.

Smith said AUPE is in “fairly aggressive discussions with AHS to try to protect health care services.”