'Several years in the making': Alberta nurses ponder strike vote after labour negotiations stall

A doctor takes a patient's blood pressure. (CTV News Edmonton)

United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) delegates are meeting in Calgary this week to discuss stalled labour negotiations with the province.

Hundreds of members gathered in the city Thursday morning to decide how to move forward after recent disagreements with their employer around pay and staffing.

On Friday, UNA's official negotiating committee will meet.

The schedule is full after informal mediation meetings last month failed to bridge two sides that "remain far apart," according to president Heather Smith.

"How we got here is several years in the making," she told CTV News.

"We have very stressful workplaces and a very demoralized and tired workforce. We need to be able to retain and recruit — and for most, nurses in this province want respect."

The union, which represents more than 30,000 nurses, is seeking 30 per cent pay raises spread over two years, following five wage freezes in the past decade.

The Alberta government's standing offer is a 7.5 per cent increase over four years.

UNA says the two sides also find themselves far apart on operational issues, specifically staffing shortages and how to manage the resulting workplace conditions.

"We do not have enough capacity for the population as it grows," Smith said Friday.

"Our (members) want to retain colleagues and have the ability to recruit and meet some levels of stability."

The premier wouldn't get into specifics Thursday but says she's hoping agreements can be reached with not only UNA but also with the other health-care unions due for new contracts.

"I would just ask for everyone to be respectful of the process," Danielle Smith said.

"We've got six or seven union contracts that have come up at the same time, and we have to make sure that we're treating everybody fairly."

Before a strike vote, the union and the province would need to go through formal mediation.

If that's a bust, the union must wait for a 14-day cooling-off period before requesting permission to hold a strike vote.

If a strike does occur, Albertans would still have access to emergency medical care, because of an essential services agreement signed by the two parties.

The agreement ensures some nurses remain on the job regardless of a contract in order to ensure the safety of patients.

With files from The Canadian Press