Unions push back over potential job reductions
EDMONTON Union leaders and the Opposition NDP continued to push back at the UCP government’s plan to reduce public sector staff Monday.
“I’m sure that people in rural Alberta would love to know, Mr. Premier, what sites are being targeted and what services are being targeted? This is not just about nursing but about every Albertan accessing safe health care services,” United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith said at a joint news conference Monday.
On Friday, the UCP government notified unions that it intended to make changes and contract out services that would result in the loss of an estimated 6,400 to 7,400 unionized public-sector jobs by 2023, including between 3,900 and 4,900 potential job reductions in health care.
“This was an ideological attack, based on nothing more than rumours and dog-whistle coming from this government, and it is shameful to see the devastation,” Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) president Mike Parker said.
That could mean 850 full-time jobs — or 1,000, including parttime jobs — held by HSAA members in lab services could be contracted out, while the UNA said 750 of its nurses’ jobs will be cut by 2023.
In the legislature Monday afternoon, the NDP asked for an emergency debate to discuss potential job cuts to the public sector, but the motion was defeated.
“I made it clear in the budget that there’s no provision for wage increases. A budget line is a function of volume times price,” Finance Minister Travis Toews said Monday in response to whether or not the government would keep jobs safe in exchange for wage rollbacks.
The government provided notice to unions of potential changes, which Toews said was a requirement of public sector bargaining, but final decisions around the public sector have not been made, he said.
“This is going to have a devastating impact on patient care,” NDP Opposition health critic David Shepherd said.
Alberta’s $20.6-billion health budget increased one per cent this year compared to last; $15.4 billion of that goes to Alberta Health Services.
“None of these reductions represent any service cuts at all. This is over four years. It represents three per cent reduction over four years — from what I understand, through attrition. I think it’s a repositioning,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro said Monday.
“The important thing to remember about the letters that we saw go out on Friday is that this is the beginning. This is not the end. This is the minimum,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said.