UNA is recommending that members vote in favour of a new “voluntary exit” agreement with Alberta Health Services even though it would not be a good arrangement for most members.
“For anyone who is retiring or leaving anyway, they may as well take this money,” notes UNA Director of Labour Relations David Harrigan. “As I said to the Transitional Negotiating Committee, for someone who is planning to retire, it’s better than a hot stick in the eye.”
UNA also says that other nurses, who were not planning to leave anyway, should not be attracted by the exit package to avoid layoffs. A nurse could get more money if laid off with severance than with this voluntary exit.
All Locals where the employer is Alberta Health Services (for example, not Covenant Health, or other voluntary employes listed in the provincial agreement) will be voting on whether to ratify this Letter of Understanding on Monday, November 9, 2009.
Besides providing extra money for nurses who were planning to leave anyway, UNA had strategic reasons for agreeing to the exit plan.
“It really appeared to us that AHS was trying to set up the unions to refuse a bad offer and then turn around and layoff staff. They could then blame the unions for refusing to negotiate the voluntary exit plan. I think they were surprised when we agreed to it. It doesn’t hurt our members or their contract rights at all, and it does offer more money to nurses who would leave anyway. We recommend nurses vote for it,” David Harrigan says.
UNA is NOT saying the exit plan is a good arrangement. “Frankly, it is not very workable at all,” says David Harrigan. “But it doesn’t erode any nurses’ rights either.”
Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett announced in August that it was bringing in voluntary exit plans to reduce the workforce across health care. First they announced a plan for managers and non-union workers that would give them 2 weeks pay for every year worked up to a maximum of 52 weeks.
AHS then announced it was offering unionized health workers one-and-a-half weeks pay for 26 weeks.
UNA and Health Sciences Association of Alberta reached deals offering one-and-a-half weeks pay for 52 weeks. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees has so far rejected the proposal.
“We definitely don’t advise it for anyone not planning to leave their job anyway,” says David Harrigan.
He also points out that under the terms, Employees have to apply for the “voluntary exit” and once they apply they cannot back out, and it is “at the Employer’s sole discretion” who gets the exit pay.
“Alberta Health Services has told us that they will not discriminate against Employees who may have apparently been planning retirement,” David Harrigan says.
Points to note about “voluntary exit”:
• There is no erosion of the UNA provincial agreement. In the contract, severance for people who are laid off and have no vacancy to select is 2 weeks per year of service to a maximum of 40 weeks.
• Any time an employee leaves, the employer has the right to replace or eliminate that position. The presence or absence of the voluntary exit plan will make no difference at all.
• There will be information meetings at every Local prior to a vote. Only if a majority of those voting and a majority of Locals approve, will the agreement be ratified.
The Transitional Negotiating Committee is recommending acceptance. |
