SETTING THE AGENDA BCNU members who attended this spring’s provincial bargaining strategy conference reviewed results from the union’s nurse bargaining survey and learned that unpaid work is a growing concern among members.
NBA BARGAINING
RUNNING ON OVERTIME Unpaid work emerges as a top priority
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OR NURSES, LONG SHIFTS and extended workweeks have become an almost permanent part of what it means to work within BC’s health-care system. There simply are not enough nurses to go around, and there is no question that the resulting workloads are bad for patient care and harmful to caregivers. Unfortunately, it would seem that health employers are more than happy to run the system using overtime in order to keep hospital wards staffed. It’s an approach that’s short-sighted and costly. BC’s two largest health authorities paid out a total of $73.7-million in nurse overtime in 2014 – a massive outlay driven by a severe shortage of both regular and specialty-educated nurse positions, such as ER and OR nurses.
“You are giving up 15 to 20 minutes of your time on either end of the shift, each shift.” Josh Gardiner
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But the financial cost is not borne by employers alone. Many BCNU members who attended last fall’s regional bargaining strategy conferences reported that one of the most common and frustrating experiences they face today is the expectation that they do unpaid work before and after their shifts. And it’s an issue they’d be willing to engage in job action to fix. BCNU is listening. “We are all striving for an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable health-care system that meets the needs of patients and their families,” says union President Christine Sorensen. “One of the best ways to achieve this would be to provide safe levels of nurse staffing that would reduce the health system’s reliance on both paid and unpaid overtime.” Fahrin Jiwani and Shalini Sudhakar work in the surgical unit at BC Children’s Hospital. Both care for patients with complex needs. “We need to take the [extra] time, because often the patients have a lot going on,” says Jiwani. “The time we spend is never paid.” Sudhakar says it feels necessary to do unpaid work in order to feel confident in the care she provides on-shift. “I come 10 minutes before my shift and stay usually 15 to 20 minutes to do
JULY/AUGUST 2018 • UPDATE MAGAZINE
handover – every shift. Otherwise, I don’t know what’s going on with my patients.” David Kang and Josh Gardiner also work in surgical settings at North Vancouver’s Lions Gate Hospital – Kang in orthopedics and Gardiner in general surgery. “Unfortunately, I work for free,” admits Kang. “I come to work early and don’t leave until my tasks are done.” Gardiner reckons that he and all of his colleagues do unpaid work. “We don’t have a critical care work environment – it’s considered basic general surgery – and as a consequence of that we are expected to show up early or stay late and we don’t get paid for it,” he explains. “So no matter which way it’s going, whether the outgoing nurse stays late or the incoming nurse comes early, you are giving up 15 to 20 minutes of your time on either end of the shift, each shift.” Nurses working at Abbotsford Regional Hospital report similar working conditions. “I’m expected to stay 10 to 15 minutes a shift for handover which we do voluntarily. I often eat through meetings or eat at my desk and not take my actual break – that’s how I work for free,” says ER nurse Remy Dhillon. “This happens at least once a week, sometimes more, and many of my colleagues do the same.” Parveen Gill works with Dhillon at ARH, and she says it’s very common for nurses to skip breaks when they’re on shift. “You get used to it and think as long as you get to eat and sit for a little bit, you’ll be okay,” she explains. “However, that takes a toll on you through the shift and through the week and, at the end of the shift, you also have to give a report and make sure the handover is done properly – it’s not the kind of job where you just leave at the end of the day without following up.” Stories of unpaid work are not unique to acute care settings. Port Alberni’s