Hospital board, union approve new deal

Nurses, pharmacists, therapists, dietitians, social workers and other professionals at Whitehorse General Hospital will see a nine-per-cent pay increase over the next three years.

Nurses, pharmacists, therapists, dietitians, social workers and other professionals at Whitehorse General Hospital will see a nine-per-cent pay increase over the next three years.

It was announced Thursday that a tentative agreement had been reached between the hospital and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) representing the 150 workers, but no details were released until Friday after it had been ratified.

Prior to the deal wages ranged from $29.98 per hour to $40.04 per hour.

Under the deal workers will see a two per cent increase retroactive to Feb. 1 of this year. A one per cent increase will follow on Aug. 1. There will then be the same two per cent and one per cent raises on Feb. 1 and Aug. 1 next year with 2010 seeing a 2.5 per cent increase to wages on Feb. 1 and again on Aug. 1, hospital spokeswoman Val Pike said this morning.

The additional two per cent seen in the third year of the contract is there as a market adjustment, notes a statement Friday by the hospital.
Union negotiator James Bart said this morning that by the end of negotiations the only thing separating the two sides was another two per cent the union sought.

With the hospital agreeing to put in writing the commitment to keep the pension plan in place and giving up concessions it sought on sick leave, the membership exercised “good common sense” in accepting the deal, Bart said.

He also noted the union was successful in moving the territory away from its “cookie cutter” deals of three per cent increases each year of other three-year agreements signed recently.

“We got them to break the pattern,” he said, noting the union may be able to use that in future deals.

Hospital officials also noted they’re happy with the deal that was met.

“We are pleased with the outcome,” hospital CEO Joe MacGillivray said. “The market adjustment will keep us competitive, and we have provided additional funding for our employees to maintain their professional designations.”

The agreement, which expires on Jan. 31, 2011, also includes a provision for an improved consultation process aimed at enhancing talks between the hospital and union.

The agreement comes after federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn ordered the two sides back into negotiations following a strike vote by union members when talks broke down. The hospital would have remained open in the event of a strike though, MacGillivray said at the time.

“It would not (close); there are plans in place for how you would deal with this, but I’m not willing to go there right now,” he said back then.

Three days of conciliation then began with the deal being reached on day two.

“The conciliation process was successful in reaching a mutually agreeable ratification of this collective agreement,” hospital chair Craig Tuton said in Friday’s statement. “We are pleased with the results and the hard work, time and effort put into this process by both negotiating teams.”

While the union is pleased with the deal, Bart noted it may not bode well in terms of bringing new professionals to the territory. With wages only slightly ahead of Alberta, Bart noted it raises the question of why new professionals would leave their home provinces to work in the territory.