‘Who’s making these kinds of decisions?’
RNU upset nurses can’t leave agencies to work for public system
The Registered Nurses’ Union (RNU) is not happy that the provincial government signed contracts with private agencies which prevent agency nurses from working in the public system for 12 months after leaving an agency.
In a news release issued Tuesday, RNU president Yvette Coffey said she learned about the situation this week when contacted by a nurse.
“I was contacted by a former private agency nurse who wanted to quit the agency and work in our public health-care system.
“When this nurse applied for a job, they were told that since they worked for an agency, they are not permitted to work as a nurse anywhere in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador,” Coffey said.
“Last spring we had over 750 vacant nursing positions in our public health-care system, and despite heavy recruitment efforts that included overseas trips, we have only successfully lowered that number to 715,” she stated in the news release.
“So why in the world is this government saying no to nurses who are already here and are wanting to stay and work here permanently? I mean who’s making these kinds of decisions?”
Coffey said it leaves her with the feeling that the government is committing “to the wholesale privatization of health care.”
STANDARD PRACTICE
On Wednesday, NL Health Services human resources vice-president Debbie Molloy said it is standard practice.
She said agencies can’t hire the province’s public system nurses, or students who are graduating.
“Part of that though, is usually in addition to us getting some assurance that people are not getting recruited, agencies also would like some assurance that we are not recruiting their workforce,” Molloy said.
Health Minister Tom Osborne said the health authority did the right thing by including the non-solicitation clause.
"If there wasn't a protection built into the contract to ensure that agencies did not recruit our nurses to work as agency nurses in their same position, in the same hospital, for the same community, they would drain our workforce,” he said.