The new contract B.C. nurses signed with the province should ultimately see more nurses working at Ridge Meadows Hospital and others around the province, said the union president.
The BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) members voted in favour of a tentative 2019-2022 provincial agreement between the Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC).
BCNU president Christine Sorensen said a game-changing addition to the agreement is a new working short premium. When nurses are required to work while short staffed, every nurse on the shift will receive a $5 per hour premium.
So, she explained, if there are five nurses in a ward where one phones in sick, and a replacement nurse cannot be found, then the other four nurses will all received the additional $5 per hour premium.
She agreed it could be viewed as a penalty for not meeting safe staffing levels.
Even with the shift premium, there is language in the contract that still requires health authorities to make efforts to replace nurses who miss shifts.
The pay increase is two per cent annually for each of the three years of the deal.
Sorensen said “hallway nursing” will likely remain a problem at Ridge Meadows and other busy hospitals around the province, but those patients in hallways should have the right amount of nursing care.
“I certainly hope patients see more nurses at the bedside,” she said.
Read Also: B.C. hospital apologizes…
By the government’s own statistics, there were four million hours of nursing care that should have been covered last year, but patients did not receive that care because there were no replacements available, she said.
“That’s a considerable amount.”
In 2017 the BCNU did a province-wide member survey that showed staffing and workload were two of the most critical areas.
“Unsustainable workload coupled with a systemic nursing shortage has a direct impact on a nurse’s ability to provide safe patient care. Our members have spoken. While more needs to be done, this contract is a step in the right direction,” said Sorensen. “It is now time for the union and employers to bring this language to life, and make real changes where our members and our patients need it most – our health care system.”
More than 21,000 ballots were cast, with 54 per cent of nurses voting to ratify the three-year deal that was reached in November 2018. The vote was held on Jan. 21 at sites across the province. The contract comes into effect April 1, 2019 and expires March 31, 2022.
Sorensen said the deal did not get a higher level of support because nurses do not trust their employers.
“Nurses are skeptical health authorities will make the changes that are needed,” she said.
She said the health authorities are being given a year to review safe staffing levels for nurses before the shift premium kicks in.
Retaining nurses and recruiting more is a key issue in health care, she said.
She noted there is a worldwide shortage of nurses, and it is starting to show in B.C., with an estimated 20,000 new nurses needed by 2026 to replace those retiring.
