NEWS
metronews.ca Thursday, April 3, 2014
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As nurses walk out, Capital Health braces for the impact Halifax patients ‘at risk.’ Capital Health CEO says labour unrest has made for a tough work environment Hundreds of nurses are expected to form picket lines outside most Halifax-area hospitals Thursday morning in a strike that the provincial government intends to shut down with essential services legislation as early as Friday. Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, said Wednesday she expects the strike to last about 30 hours. “When the legislation passes, we will go back to work,” she said after a protest rally at the legislature. The union represents 2,400 nurses who are demanding higher staffing levels to ensure patient safety. The Capital District Health Authority, the nurses’ em-
ployer, has responded by saying the demand for nurseto-patient ratios won’t work because such a tool is too inflexible and there is no evidence it guarantees better safety. The impact of a strike — even a short one — would stretch beyond the city because the affected health institutions in Halifax serve as regional health centres for the province and the Maritime region. “Every day that we don’t have our nurses here is a concern for us, every hour that we don’t have our nurses here,” Capital Health CEO Chris Power told a news conference Wednesday. “So this is a huge concern for us and for the safety of our patients.” Power said the labour unrest has made for a tough work environment. The union and the health authority have agreed to maintain full staffing levels for emergency rooms and units offering dialysis
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“This is a difficult time for everybody, not just for nurses who are poised to strike tomorrow, but all staff. Tensions are high.” Capital Health CEO Chris Power
services, cancer care and intensive care. But Power said many of the other services offered by the authority won’t have enough nurses to provide proper emergency care. “We will use every effort to provide the best care we can ... but our patients and the provincial health-care system will again be at risk.” Dr. Patrick Ward, the authority’s chief of critical care, offered a more omin-
ous warning. “Is is possible that someone can be hurt?” he asked. “The answer to that would be yes.” Power said there were no plans to bring in nurses from other regional health authorities. Labour Minister Kelly Regan has said Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada without some sort of essential services legislation for its nurses. The Liberal government’s proposed legislation would require unions and employers throughout the healthcare sector to have an essential services agreement in place before a strike or lockout. Bill 37 would also apply to paramedics, ambulance dispatchers, hospital employees and people who work in homes for seniors, youth and people with disabilities. In all, about 35,000 to 40,000 workers would be covered by the law. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Joan Jessome, president of the NSGEU, speaks to gathered media outside a conference hall at the Harbourfront Marriott hotel on Wednesday. Mitch Ward/for Metro
Union members protest at Province House Halifax-area nurses marched them back to work as early as Quoted in solidarity with other union Friday. Mila Warren, a registered members at Province House Wednesday to once again pro- nurse with Capital Health, said “You can’t work like that on a daily basis and go test the province’s poised es- the government’s decision to home feeling good about the generations coming legislate them back to work up behinds us ... it’s just going to get worse.” sential services legislation. Nurses with the NSGEU are sets a bad precedent. “This is a dangerous, slip- Sue Fancy, Nurse at Victoria General Hospital set to go on a legal strike Thursday morning, but the province pery slope,” she said before joining about 50 4other people professionals are essential servi- to strike, who is next?” is expectedBFtoDiscovery pass an essential 2014_Halifax__10x2.78.pdf 14/03/2014 16:23 Warren said if the governservices bill that could have in the protest. “If health care ces when they are in a position
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ment chooses to take away striking as an option, they have to act Thursday while it’s still legal. “This isn’t about the NSGEU and their employer,” she said. “This is about thousands of health care professionals all across the province unable to bargain effectively with their employer.”
Sue Fancy, a nurse employed at the Victoria General hospital in Halifax, said the original issue was the need for more nurses, the safety of patients and protection for nurses. “But when Bill 37 came into play, it became bigger than all of us,” she proclaimed of the essential services bill. Melissa Heald/For Metro
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