UNA continues effort to ensure members are paid at appropriate rate for OH&S Committee work

Alberta Health Services continues to pay many members of United Nurses of Alberta at a lower rate than required by provincial legislation for Occupational Health and Safety Committee work.

UNA takes the position Occupational Health and Safety Committee work required since Alberta’s current workplace safety legislation took effect on June 1, 2018, should be paid at the same rate as any other work.

In other words, work on a Joint Work Site Occupational Health and Safety Committee as defined in the legislation qualifies for overtime pay, premiums and shift differentials if justified under the normal rules of UNA’s collective agreements.

Despite this longstanding position taken by UNA, an AHS safety bulletin published on April 10, 2019, contends that the collective agreement says attendance at Joint Work Site Occupational Health and Safety Committees “is always at the basic rate of pay.”

Basic Rate of Pay is defined in the Provincial Collective Agreement as the step in the scale applicable to the employee as set out in the Salary Appendix, along with educational allowances and the Long Service Pay Adjustment, but not including of all other allowances and premium payments.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act says that when a committee member attends meetings, training, or does other committee work required by the law, the member is deemed to be at work and is to be paid at the applicable rate of pay.

UNA’s position is that all committee work – including attendance at OH&S meetings, OH&S training, and preparing for meetings and participating in inspections and investigations – is subject to overtime, weekend premiums, and shift differentials when the appropriate conditions outlined by the collective agreement and provincial legislation are met.

UNA has filed a grievance, which is proceeding.

While the grievance process moves forward, UNA has been encouraging members who do OH&S Committee work at times they would normally qualify for overtime, shift premiums or shift differentials to submit that for time as they normally would.

UNA asks that you continue to do so. If the overtime, weekend premiums, or shift differentials are denied, please notify us by email immediately.

A Labour Relations Officer will contact you and may file an additional grievance on your behalf.

In the event you contact the union, UNA is seeking the following information: a brief description of the committee work performed; the date and time it took place; what premiums, differentials, and overtime the employee claimed; when they were denied; if overtime was requested, and the circumstances that led to the employee to qualify for overtime. For example, if the committee meeting took place after the employee’s shift. If the request was denied in writing, please send a copy to your Labour Relations Officer.

If you have any questions about the new OH&S Act, please contact UNA Occupational Health and Safety Advisor Dewey Funk at dfunk@una.ab.ca, 780-425-1025 in Edmonton, or 1-800-252-9394 province wide.

If you have questions related to pay issues, please contact your local executive or your Labour Relations Officer by calling 780-425-1025 or 1-800-252-9394 north of Red Deer or 403-237-2377 or 1-800-661-1802 in Southern Alberta.