Position Transfers

The Government of Alberta is transitioning away from a single province-wide regional health authority in Alberta. After the passage of the Health Statutes Amendment Act on May 29, 2024, the provincial government is dismantling Alberta Health Services (AHS) and transferring employee positions to the five sector-based provincial health organizations:

Acute Care Alberta (ACA)
Assisted Living Alberta (ALA)
Health Shared Services (HSS)
Primary Care Alberta (PCA)
Recovery Alberta (RA)

Three additional provincial health corporations exist under the purview of ACA:

Cancer Care Alberta (CCA)
Emergency Health Services (EHS)
Give Life Alberta (GLA)

The creation of these sector-based health organizations and the transfer of staff is not something that UNA can stop, but the union has signed a Letter of Understanding (LOU) with AHS outlining how these transfers will happen. The LOU acknowledges that the positions will transfer but affected Employees represented by UNA are not obligated to transfer with the positions to the new Employers.

Directly affected Employees have an option to stay in their positions and transfer to the new Employer, or to receive notice of position elimination and exercise their rights under Article 15, Layoff and Recall. Affected Employees will be notified of the position transfers and if they wish to decline the transfer must do so in writing by email. At that time, they may request notice of position elimination. If they do not respond, they will be transferred to the new Employer.

If a directly affected Employee is away on Leave, WCB, STD or LTD, they will be able to exercise their rights when they return from their leave.

Employees who are displaced or “bumped” by directly affected Employees have, in addition to their rights under Article 15, the right to take a vacancy at the new Employer.

Each transferring Employee will transfer seniority, hours worked towards their next increment, unused personal leave days and all credits accrued up to the date of the payroll transfer in the following banks: vacation, overtime, named holidays inclusive of the floater holiday (if applicable), and sick leave. All pre-approved vacation time, personal leave, professional development, time off in lieu of overtime, time off in lieu of a named holiday, and Shift exchanges will be honoured by the new Employer.

Once a new Employer is created, for the first several months the change will be invisible to Employees for the purpose of the Collective Agreement. The provincial health agency will be treated as a single Employer and the Direct Nursing and Nursing Instruction bargaining units will be treated as a single bargaining unit for purposes of applying and administering the Collective Agreement until the payroll transfer date. thereafter, AHS and the Employers will be treated as separate Employers.

UNA will do its best to answer questions and address the concerns of members affected by these changes. UNA encourages members to read the LOU and the list of frequently asked questions below.

Payroll transfer dates

United Nurses of Alberta has received confirmation from Alberta Health Services that December 22, 2025 will be the Payroll Transfer Date on which employees of Acute Care Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, and Recovery Alberta will be migrated from the AHS payroll to their new employer-specific payroll groups.

Affected employees will note the following changes on December 22:

The e-People system will clearly reflect the new employers
The “Post Payroll Transition” terms of the Transition Agreements signed between the parties will apply.
AHS, RA, ACA and PCA will become separate bargaining units for purposes of applying and administering the Collective Agreement, except as specifically amended in the “Post Payroll Transition” terms of the Transition Agreement or the Collective Agreements.

The employers are developing collective agreement-specific FAQs related to administration of the collective agreement and transition agreements resulting from these payroll transfers.

The Payroll Transfer Dates for Assisted Living Alberta, Cancer Care Alberta, Emergency Health Services, and Give Life Alberta have not been determined by the employer. Employees of those organizations will remain on AHS payroll until a payroll transition date is determined.

UNA members should refer to Part B of Letter of Understanding #34 attached to the Provincial Collective Agreement for more information about post-payroll transition promotions, transfers and vacancies, layoff and recall, emergency reassignments, and more.

UNA will continue to share information about the position transfers and payroll transfers affecting UNA members as we receive it.

Payroll Transfer Dates

Acute Care Alberta (ACA): December 22, 2025
Assisted Living Alberta (ALA): TBA
Health Shared Services (HSS): TBA
Primary Care Alberta (PCA): December 22, 2025
Recovery Alberta (RA): December 22, 2025

Documents for UNA members

General documents

Letter of Understanding re: Transition of Employees pursuant to Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024:

This LOU signed by UNA and Alberta Health Services retains and expands the rights of Employees affected by the creation of Recovery Alberta and other future Provincial Health Agencies. For more information about this LOU, read UNA's statement from May 31, 2024.

UNA Layoff & Recall FAQ:

This guide provides UNA members, locals, and staff with answers to the questions most frequently asked about layoff and position elimination.

Employer/UNA Joint Layoff & Recall Statements:

This document is intended to be a resource document that guides Employer Human Resources and UNA Labour Relations Officers through the layoff and recall process. Where these joint statements contradict statements in the UNA Layoff and Recall Manual or the AHS Layoff and Recall Manual, this document takes precedence.

Acute Care Alberta

UNA Transition of Health Statutes Amendment Act Cancer Care Alberta (Revised August 19 2025)

UNA Transition of Health Statutes Amendment Act Emergency Health Services (Revised August 19 2025)

UNA Transition of Health Statutes Amendment Act - Give Life Alberta (Revised August 19 2025)

Assisted Living Alberta

UNA Transition of Health Statutes Amendment Act - Assisted Living Alberta

Primary Care Alberta

Explaining the transition from AHS to Primary Care Alberta (FAQ)

This frequently asked questions document answers some of the key questions that UNA members have about how their employment will be impacted if their positions are moved to the new sector-based provincial health authority responsible for primary care.

FAQ: Transition of Employees Pursuant to the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, Primary Care Alberta:

This frequently asked questions document answers some of the key questions that UNA members have about the rights of Employees affected by the creation of Primary Care Alberta.

Recovery Alberta

Explaining the transition from AHS to Recovery Alberta (FAQ):

Ministerial Order issued on transfer of AHS employees to Recovery Alberta (July 18, 2024)

Frequently Asked Questions: Transition of Employees Pursuant to the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 (July 3, 2024)

Letter from Kerry Bales, CEO, Recovery Alberta (July 2, 2024)

Resources for UNA members about Recovery Alberta, Layoff and Recall (June 14, 2024)

Frequently Asked Questions

GENERAL

Q: Can this transition be stopped?

A: No. this was not a decision made by AHS. the Government of Alberta has decided this is happening, regardless of the negative effects it may have on staff and patients.

Q: Will this LOU be in place for all future transfers of Employees from AHS that are part of the government health care refocusing?

A: Yes. It has been written broadly so that if other agencies employer front line employees, it applies. but as mentioned earlier, at this time the Government has stated that the other agencies will be for governance and policy purposes and will not employ nurses.

Q: How will I be notified that my current position is moving to a new Employer?

A: Directly affected Employees will receive an email from the Employer. Local Presidents also have a list of the positions that will be transferred.

Q: Who is considered a Regular Employee?

A: The Collective Agreement describe three different categories of Employees: Regular (full time or part time), Casual, and temporary (those hired for a specific time frame). Regular Employees in temporary positions continue to be Regular Employees.

Q: Will severance or early retirement options be offered with the position transfer order?

A: No. The Health Statutes Amendment Act specified that, regardless of any Collective Agreement, severance will not be avail- able as a result of these changes.

Q: What will the length of time be between the transfer order and the deadline to respond if I am a directly affected Employee?

A: The length of time is generally two weeks.

Q: What does displacement mean?

A: Article 15 of the Collective Agreement indicates that an Employee whose position is eliminated or who is displaced in accordance with this Article shall, provided the Employee has not less than 24 months of seniority: have the right to displace an Employee with less seniority in a position for which the Employee has the ability to perform the work; at the Employee’s option, take a position which is vacant and for which the Employee has the ability to perform the work; or at the Employee’s option, accept layoff with the right of recall. Displacing another Employee is often referred to as “bumping.”

Q: Where can I find information about Article 15?

A: UNA has created a Questions and Answer document about Layoff and Recall.

Q: Does the new Letter of Understanding provide any rights on a addition to Article 15?

A: Yes. UNA’s position is that affected employees have the right to transfer to PCA or to exercise their Article 15 rights at all Employers except the Employer they refuse to be transferred to. Indirectly affected employees (those displaced by directly affected) also have the right to select a vacancy at other Employers.

Q: What are the best resources for Employees to access if they have more questions?

A: Contact the Labour Relations Officer assigned to your UNA Local at 1-800-252-9394 or nurses@una.ca.

Q: The Letter of Understanding discusses that Employees can be casual at one or both of the Employers, what is the process to notify the Employer(s)?

A: Nurses will have to establish a Casual employment record with the other Employer through one of the units/programs/offices. Staff should speak to the Manager directly. the additional Casual Record will not be activated until the payroll transfer date. A request to create an additional Casual Record shall not be unreasonably denied.

EMPLOYEES ON LEAVE

Q: Does this Letter of Understanding apply to all Leaves of Absence under Article 22 of the Provincial Collective Agreement?

A: the LOU does apply to Employees on leave. but Employees is away on Leave, WCB, STD, or LTD will be notified and will exercise their rights when they return from their leave.

Q: Which Employer do I notify of my readiness to return to work?

A: You should notify Alberta Health Services.

TEMPORARY POSITION

Q: If I am in a temporary position that is being transferred to the new provincial health agency, what is the process if the new Employer wants to extend my temporary position?

A: Any extension would need to be agreed to by the Union. If this occurs, you should speak to your Local President.

POST PAYROLL TRANSITION

Q: When is the expected date of the payroll transition to the new Employers?

A: The payroll transfer date for Acute Care Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, and Recovery Alberta is December 22, 2025. Payroll transfer dates for other Employers have not been announced.

Q: Will the payroll transition affect the way I file my taxes?

A: At this time, the Employers have no plans for change.

Q: How will working a regular position with one Employer and casual in another impact my pension and entitlements?

A: At this time, the employers have no plans for change.