P.E.I. nurses frustrated by stalled collective bargaining after election call
Frustration is coming to a head for nurses on Prince Edward Island after two years without a contract.
Over the two-year period, the PEI Nurses Union and Health PEI have met for meetings 25 times.
The president of the PEI Nurses Union, Barbara Brookins, said they were approaching a critical point.
"Just as we felt that we were making some kind of momentum, we had our dates in March cancelled,” said Brookins. “We were told that we were under the caretaker convention, which is not even true, because we are Heath PEI employees, not public service employees."
The caretaker government convention contains rules on what government can and cannot do during an active election campaign, including collective bargaining. It came into effect as soon as the writ was dropped.
In a news release, Health PEI said they've been advised they do fall under the rules, meaning it cannot continue negotiations while the election is ongoing.
Officials said they have offered new dates in mid-April to resume talks.
Brookins said there is 24.4 per cent vacancy rate among registered nurses and nurse practitioners, adding that the expired contract is at least partly to blame.
"Salary rates that might have been good back two years ago, but are certainly not competitive with the Atlantic region right now," said Brookins.
The PEI Nurses Union is planning a rally in Charlottetown on Monday.
They’re also not the only health-care workers in the province's health system without an agreement.
By the end of March, all of the CUPE health-care support workers and nurses in the PEI Union of Public Sector Employees will be without a contract as well.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.