“Be honest with the people of this province”: CUPE denounces move from NL Health Services to standardize use of private nursing agencies

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Newfoundland & Labrador is deeply concerned about the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services taking steps to standardize the use of private agencies for nursing staff, instead of investing in public healthcare.

“Under the guise of ensuring the consistent delivery of quality healthcare services, the government is once again putting our public services up for auction to the highest bidder,” said CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador President Sherry Hillier.

While claiming to be reducing privatization of our healthcare services, the provincial government is renewing and standardizing contracts for private agency nurses, while in the public sector nursing staff bear the burden of an underfunded public health care system.

Some public sector nurses make as little as a quarter of the wages offered in the private sector—with the provincial government public dollars still footing the bill. That’s on top of having to manage with short supplies, limited patient care time, and long wait times in hospitals and health care facilities.

“As an LPN, I know the toll it takes to try and deliver high-quality healthcare services in a system that’s being strangled,” continued Hillier. Low wages and understaffing are making nurses leave the public sector—and leave the province, manufacturing a need for more so-called “short-term” private contracts in healthcare.

While the government celebrates recent recruitment numbers, we know that from April to October last year, only 33 nurses were hired in the entire province. Hiring new graduates will not address the problems our healthcare system if working conditions do not change.

“The Furey government needs to be honest with the people of this province. Smoke and mirrors will not improve healthcare services in Newfoundland & Labrador. But putting public funds towards public services absolutely will.”

CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador represents 2,300 healthcare workers across the province, from support and service staff to emergency response teams, workers in long-term care homes and hospitals. When the Furey government met with health-care unions to offer a one-time wage increase last year, CUPE members were not invited.

Just a few months ago, support and service staff employed by NL Health Services and represented by CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador presented a petition with over 1,400 signatures to every MHA and the Premier, demanding the Furey government meet to discuss ongoing recruitment and retention issues.

That’s over four times the amount of private health-care staff employed by NL Health Services, but instead of hearing the concerns of these workers, the government is choosing to put public resources towards ensuring standard rates for private healthcare staff.