Saturday January 24, 2009

 Will deal help N.B. to recruit, retain nurses?

Contract  Union says deal makes province better place to work Both sides appear to be happy with new agreement.

 The New Brunswick Nurses Union says the new contract for nurses will improve compensation, address working conditions and make the province a more viable option for future nursing graduates. About 79 per cent of the union's membership voted on the new contract, and more than nine out of every 10 voters supported the deal.

Union President Marilyn Quinn said the membership is happy with the deal. "It's balanced in terms of addressing the needs for today and providing solutions for the future, which is what nurses wanted all along," she said. "Working conditions have to change, and now we have the ability to make that happen through the partnership agreement." Quinn said the province listened to what nurses had to say and made commitments to address those problems. "They knew money alone couldn't fix (nurses') problems," she said. "They had to recognize them and understand that this isn't acceptable anymore."

The deal includes salary increases totalling 11.5 per cent that will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008. The increases will be distributed incrementally. Young nurses will get a maternity leave top-up provision that will allow them to receive up to 75 per cent of their salary for the first 15 weeks of leave. That provision will come into effect Jan.1, 2010. Quinn said that's going to be a key part of the agreement and an incentive that will keep young nurses working in New Brunswick. "Imagine, (a workforce that is) 96 per cent women and we've never had a maternity leave top-up provision," she said. " I think it was a real recognition that nurses' unions have to be competitive at every level, and that was something for newer and younger nurses."

Nurses will also have their pension contributions increased by 0.5 per cent. The province will match that contribution. The contract will also provide increases for shift premiums starting July 1, 2010. Nurses will receive an extra $1.75 per hour for evenings, $2.25 per hour for nights, and $2.50 per hour on weekends. Standby rates will also increase from $2 per hour to $3 per hour starting in January 2010.

Senior nurses will receive another three per cent raise during the length of the contract - with a two per cent raise dating back to Jan. 1, 2009, and an additional one per cent raise beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Quinn said that stipulation is a respectful nod to the many years of service senior nurses have put into New Brunswick's health-care system. "It isn't a huge amount of money, but respect is not always about money," she said. "It will respect the experience that they bring and encourage them to stay a couple more years in the system."

The province will also begin implementing a funded retention and recruitment partnership. The first initiative will introduce a forgivable loan program for new nursing students in 2009-10 and funding to help improve work conditions for nurses in the system.

Human Resources Minister Rick Brewer said the province has successfully negotiated 12 contracts since October 2006. He said he believes the pact will help New Brunswick keep nursing graduates working in the province for many years to come. "This is a significant achievement for our province and for the hardworking nurses who are the foundation of our health-care system," he said. "Our government's vision for a strong, self-sufficient province relies on our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled nurses. We believe that this latest achievement will help to achieve this goal."