Premier Pat Binns and Health and Social Services Minister Jamie Ballem expressed pleasure today with the fact that government and the PEI Nurses' Union have agreed on a tentative three-year contract, which will now be recommended for ratification by Island nurses.
Premier Binns advised that government is pleased with the terms of the agreement and the process leading up to it. "It was important to government that we reach a satisfactory settlement as quickly as possible, and in a way that would continue to support our positive and professional working relationship with Island nurses," said the Premier. "With the cooperation of the nurses we were able to do that. We now look forward to working with nurses to ensure that Islanders have continued access to quality health care."
Through the new contract, registered nurses will receive salary increases of 18 percent over three years, and major improvements in evening, night and weekend premiums.
Health and Social Services Minister Jamie Ballem advised that the successful negotiations will have several benefits for nurses and the health care system. "First it will provide all nurses working in the provincial public sector a competitive compensation package that is on par with the average Atlantic Canada wage rate for registered nurses," said the minister. "Secondly, it provides additional compensation for evening, night and weekend shifts which are much more difficult to fill. The additional incentives should help us to cover these shifts, ensure continued access to services, and reduce call-back for these shifts which is difficult for nurses and their families, and costly for the health system. Finally, the agreement supports our efforts to promote positive work environments for Island nurses."
Margaret Duffy-Murphy advised that the tremendous amount of time and energy put into the negotiation process has yielded positive results for registered nurses in Prince Edward Island. "This tentative agreement provides fair compensation to all nurses. The significant increases in shift and weekend premiums also shows recognition for the valuable work provided by nurses required to work evenings and weekends," said Ms. Duffy-Murphy.
The next step in the process is to ratify the proposal. Information packages will be mailed by the Nurses' Union within the next week, and a special meeting will be scheduled to inform the members of the specifics of the agreement. A ratification vote is expected in late August or early September.
The new contract will be retroactive to April 1, 2002, and effective until March 31, 2005.