‘I’d like to see it done before Christmas’: N.B. government still trying to reach agreement with nurses
A strike vote is looming for the New Brunswick Nurses Union – after the rejection of two tentative agreements this fall.
The union is planning a town hall information session for members on Tuesday, and are 'gearing up' to take strike votes later this week. But the N.B. government said Friday, talks are ongoing and have remained positive.
“We all want to see it happen sooner than later,” said N.B. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. “And certainly when I did some travels last week throughout the province, we talked to medical staff about safety, so I know that’s top of mind.”
Registered nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse managers and supervisors have been without a contract since Dec. 2018.
President of the NBNU, Paula Doucet, has described difficult working conditions, including 24 hour shifts, violent incidents, denied vacation and burnout. There are hundreds of vacant nursing positions across the province – and the pandemic has made the shortage even more difficult.
“After two rejected tentative agreements, nurses in this province are sending a message to government and employers that enough is enough and things need to start changing for the better,” she said Sunday. “It’s a difficult thing for nurses to do, but they have found their strength collectively to demand better for themselves and the patients/residents/clients they provide healthcare to in N.B.”
Premier Blaine Higgs said they’ve reviewed nurses’ shift schedules, and acknowledge they can be grueling.
He also recognized issues around workplace safety, and said they are trying to find ways to make hospitals safer.
“It’s kind of unconscionable, to think that we’re at an age in time where our hospitals are not safe to go to work,” he said. “I think it’s unfortunate that someone is in the position to work longer shifts than anyone should be expected to, but not only once or now and then because of an emergency – but quite routinely. And they’ve made it clear they just can’t have a work/life balance without that being addressed, and I don’t disagree.”
Higgs said he’s hoping an agreement can be reached before Christmas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.