Members of CUPE 5430 join community members and local healthcare workers for a rally on Weds., Apr. 17. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

CUPE Rally

Heathcare workers rally for better wages, retention

Apr 17, 2024 | 6:09 PM

On a cold, blustery day, a group of healthcare workers came together outside the Battlefords Union Hospital with a message of alarm.

“That challenge in terms of recruitment and retention…it has to do with the daily battle of our members – that is the rising cost of living,” said Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE 5430.

Speaking in front of a group of about 20 members with flags and banners, he said wages of health care workers in the province have not increased to keep up with inflation.

“Our members, how they are coping with this, they’re actually working excessive amount of overtime,” he said, noting some have taken to holding back on groceries and leisure time.

Bashir Jalloh, president of CUPE 5430, speaks to media during a rally for healthcare workers on Weds., Apr. 17. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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“Some are actually postponing retirement; some folks are even resorting to excessive amount of debt. That is something that is not sustainable,” he said.

BattlefordsNOW reached out to the Ministry of Health where they issued a statement saying they are committed to building a sustainable health care system in the Battlefords.

The statement pointed to over $140 million in investments for several health care initiatives.

We have filled 223 of the 250 new and enhanced permanent full-time positions targeted in nine high-priority occupations to stabilize staffing in rural and remote areas of the province (as of March 7, 2024).

· 305 hard-to-recruit positions in rural, regional, and northern communities have been successfully hired as a direct result of the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive.

· Creating 66 additional training seats in programs for Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and other hard-to-recruit health-care professions.

· More than 1,000 nursing graduates hired since 2022 (local and out-of-province as of March 7, 2024).

· The recruitment of 278 physicians to Saskatchewan from out of province since 2021. An additional 212 physicians have been hired from within the province during the same time period.

In total, nearly 100 positions have been successfully hired in North Battleford since our HHR Action Plan was introduced.

Jalloh spoke about the government’s strategy of recruiting from outside the province and said that plan hasn’t always worked.

“Nothing has been done with regards to retention of our members,” said Jalloh.

For Bobbi Kanz, who has worked as a licensed practical nurse for 24 years said in her time as a healthcare professional, she has seen an increase in stress levels.

“The last few years were very hard on everybody, and we still do not see the help that we need to get through our days,” she said.

According to the newly released “The Current State of Healthcare in Saskatchewan,” a research report issued by the University of Regina’s Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU), 38 per cent of service disruptions are happening in Region One, which includes the Battlefords (18) and Meadow Lake (169) – the latter of which marks “nearly 2.5 times more disruptions than the next leading facility, Canora Hospital.”

Bobbi Kanz, licensed practical nurse with Battlefords Union Hospital speaks during the rally. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

“Healthcare workers are given a choice, go to work, stay home with my family,” the Battlefords nurse said.

“We chose to go to work because at the end of the day, somebody needs to be there to take care of all of your families.”

She explained that as their wages haven’t increased, they are struggling.

“We would really love to see a fair deal this next time, you know maybe front-loaded, front-heavy,” said Kanz.

“Give us something now, to help us know to help us stay in our jobs. We have seen a lot of experienced senior staff leave these areas where they’re needed, and we need to keep to them.”

According to Allyson Hadley, another LPN for the hospital, she is the last senior LPN in her ward.

“Everyone has kind of moved on and been burnt out,” she said, adding her home ward became the outbreak ward during COVID.

“As we got through those three years, the morale went down, the acuity went up, burnout went up, the compassion fatigue went up and then patient care suffered.”

Hadley explained that during that time, retention was “a big issue.”

Allyson Hadley, an LPN shares her experiences during the CUPE rally on Weds., Apr. 17. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

“I got nothing, I’ve been here for 12 years and they brought in contract nurses for $10, $20 more than me and I saw no bonuses, I saw no hazard pay, I saw no help coming,” she said. With one child at home, Hadley must pick up overtime to keep up with her mortgage.

“We need more permanent rotations,” she said.

“We are tired of seeing temporary lines, part-time lines, casual lines.”

The recent budget included a “capital budget of $516.8 million for facilities and equipment.”

“If you are building these massive places, these hospitals and you don’t have staff, what is the point?”

Meanwhile, the budget includes “$11.6 million to fully fund the commitment to add 250 new or enhanced permanent full-time positions in rural and remote locations.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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