The NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 healthcare system is in crisis. We are failing to retain our healthcare workers, leading to a costly reliance on contract nurses to fill gaps, and less continuity of care.
There is no single easy solution, but one thing I heard consistently during and after my election campaign to become MLA for Yellowknife North is that a nursing-specific collective agreement could be pivotal in retaining nurses. Many object to being lumped in with the rest of the GNWT public service, who are mostly 9-to-5 office workers.
I spoke to some nurses who have been asking for this for decades. Even more remarkable, this issue was raised with me by all kinds of constituents - not only nurses (RNs, LPNs, NPs), but doctors, health authority administrators, experienced legislators, and patients.
But why would legislators need to get involved? Why canSA国际影视传媒檛 nurses just sort this out internally with the Union of Northern Workers (UNW)? It turns out that the current law (the Public Service Act) gives the UNW a monopoly over representing all territorial public service employees except for teachers. Nurses currently donSA国际影视传媒檛 have a choice. They are forced by law to be part of the same big collective bargaining unit as the policy analysts and the lawyers.
Yet nurses obviously face very different workplace challenges than most other GNWT employees. With chronic staff shortages, shifts that must ensure 24-hour coverage and increasing numbers of patients with more serious illnesses, nurses face sleep deprivation, moral distress and burnout. This not only impacts nurse well-being and safety but can also be a matter of life-or-death for patients. The current collective agreement cannot adequately address these issues while ensuring other professions are fairly represented.
This situation doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 seem good for any of us. I may not hold the same authority as Health and Social Services Minister Lesa Semmler or the purse strings of Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek but as an MLA, itSA国际影视传媒檚 my job to find solutions to major problems that affect so many of my constituents.
I have been working on a private membersSA国际影视传媒� bill to change the Public Service Act to allow nurses their own collective agreement, and I am looking for public input and feedback.
Even if youSA国际影视传媒檙e not a nurse, this affects you. It is about protecting higher quality healthcare and preventing a shift towards healthcare privatization due to increased reliance on contract nurses. It is something tangible we can do now to improve nurse retention and morale. A separate collective agreement would allow for targeted benefits and allowances specific to nurses SA国际影视传媒� the ones who live in the territory and support our local economy. It also opens the door for key workplace safety measures, such as safe nurse-to-patient ratios, that benefit both healthcare workers and patients.
Currently, nurses in the NWT are scattered among various locals where they usually make up a small minority and have a limited voice and influence. This initiative would unite them into one bargaining unit, potentially giving them more power.
This is not a novel concept. Nurses in each province have their own nursing unions. Doctors in the NWT currently have their own separate bargaining unit under the NWT Medical Association.
I would like to hear from all Northerners: do you think this a good idea? I especially want to open up opportunities for nurses to have their voices heard and be part of the decision-making.
There is a window of about seven months to get this done. After that, collective bargaining between the GNWT and UNW is expected to resume and while legal changes would still be possible, they would become more politically difficult as they are traditionally avoided during active negotiations.
I encourage all Northerners to speak up on this. LetSA国际影视传媒檚 make sure any necessary change happens while we have the chance. If we want to take this critical step during the life of this legislative assembly to retain nurses and improve our healthcare system, it is now or never.
Shauna Morgan is the MLA for Yellowknife North.
