Union wants better wages for nurses at one of busiest Maritime hospitals
Emergency room nurses at one of the busiest hospitals in the Maritimes are asking their employer to recognize their training and pay them accordingly.
"Our nurses are working 12 to 16 hour days. We have nurses that have 25 years' experience. Very difficult to get time off," said Hugh Gillis, the first president of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU).
The NSGEU is now going public with its plea to improve working conditions for nurses at the Halifax Infirmary's emergency department.
The union says it's also about pay and retention. Gillis points to salary comparisons for nurses working with Nova Scotia Health and travel nurses who work for private agencies that then get hired by the province.
“When we have nurses for Nova Scotia Health being paid half of what private nurses are making in the province, we simply can’t compete," he said.
Gillis says this leads to nurses leaving for other jurisdictions and burnout. The NSGEU wants the province to level the playing field.
In a statement to CTV News, officials with the Department of Health and Wellness say they are trying.
“We know nurses and other health-care workers are tired and need support. While we continue to work to train and recruit more nurses, we know retention measures will also be needed. We continue to work on this, both through nursing negotiations and as part of the budget process,” read the statement.
Nurse practitioner Tammy O'Rourke says the NSGEU is "right on target."
She says she works with many young nurses entering the profession.
“They do want a work/life balance, they want security and you know, they want respect. They want to be treated for the education that they’ve obtained, a four year undergraduate degree,” O’Rourke says.
An education that they say right now in Nova Scotia is not paying off.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.