Bargaining resumes for new collective agreement between United Nurses of Alberta and AHS, Covenant Health, Recovery Alberta, Lamont Health Care Centre, and The Bethany Group (Camrose)

Negotiations between United Nurses of Alberta and Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health and other employers for a new Provincial Collective Agreement briefly resumed this morning.
 
UNA’s Negotiating Committee informed the employer bargaining team that on October 30 when the union’s members voted against ratifying a recommended settlement reached in informal mediation, they sent a clear message that any new agreement must include compensation to make up for the losses suffered by Alberta’s nurses over the past several years due to inflation.
 
“The Negotiating Committee informed the employers that they were going to have to go back to the government to get a new bargaining mandate that reflects that requirement,” said UNA Labour Relations Director David Harrigan, who is also the union’s lead negotiator.
 
In addition, the UNA Negotiating Committee told their employer counterparts that the union will apply for formal mediation this week to push the process forward.
 
At a province-wide online meeting yesterday, the presidents of all UNA Locals whose members are included in the Provincial Collective Agreement voted to authorize the Negotiating Committee to sign off on all essential services agreements (ESAs) immediately. That motion was introduced on the recommendation of the Negotiating Committee.
 
The Labour Relations Code, which governs collective bargaining, requires the Alberta Labour Relations Board to approve all ESAs before proceeding with formal mediation, which must be completed before a strike or lockout can take place.
 
A neutral third-party Mediator appointed by the Alberta Mediation Services would try to assist the Union and the Employers to reach an agreement. If there is room for a mediated settlement, the Mediator could write recommendations. Mediator’s recommendations are not binding and either party is free to accept or reject them.
 
This contract covers more than 30,000 Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses represented by UNA.
 
Negotiations for a new agreement began in February 2024.