'A slap in the face': N.S. nurse on medical leave won't receive full incentive bonu
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NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it “doesn’t make any sense” to exclude full-time employees who are off on medical leave from receiving all the incentive payment.
“I think it feels like a punishment to not be included as part of this program, and that’s certainly not the message we think the health authority should be sending,” Chender said.
“If the point of this is to demonstrate that this government cares about and wants to retain its full-time and, just generally, the workforce of nurses that we have, then that would include all nurses.”
Chender said Nova Scotia is losing nurses “at an alarming rate.”
While she welcomes the incentive bonus, Chender said nurses have other concerns that need to be addressed.
“I think it’s fine to send everybody a cheque at the end of the year, but when I talk to nurses, as important or sometimes more important than remuneration is working conditions.”
Chender said nurses are constantly working short-staffed, working a lot of overtime and are unable to take their entitled vacations. At times, they also aren’t able to take breaks or don’t have food or coffee available to them.
“We can build as much infrastructure and open as many beds as we want and if we don’t have the staff, it’s not going to make a difference in people’s lives, and so we need to acknowledge what those staff need to be able to go to work and remain healthy and ultimately enjoy their jobs,” Chender said.
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