Healthcare workers have rejected a tentative agreement with Alberta Health Services (AHS) in a province-wide vote.The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) said Wednesday that 78% of its members cast ballots between Aug. 28 and Sept. 10.The union says 59% of members voted to reject the deal.“Today, HSAA members are sending a message. Frontline health-care professionals are rejecting a deal that does not do enough to support them,” HSAA President Mike Parker said.“We face a dangerous shortage of health-care professionals in this province. Albertans see it every day in longer wait times, overwhelmed emergency rooms, delayed surgeries and therapies, and the prolonged agony of waiting for care.”More than 22,000 health-care professionals are represented by the HSAA and covered by the agreement. This includes diagnostic imaging specialists, mental health and addiction workers, paramedics, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers, and 200 other professions.Parker said the vote reflects the reality of a health-care workforce under immense strain.“Our members are living these challenges alongside patients, often facing unmanageable workloads, short staffing, and burnout that is driving professionals out of the system,” Parker said..‘HEALTH WORKER CRISIS’: Canada short 90,000 doctors, nurses .President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner said he was “disappointed” that AHS and the HSAA have not ratified a new collective agreement.“The ratification in this case involved a tentative agreement reached between the parties at the table after many months of bargaining,” he said.Horner went on to say the tentative agreement was based “on terms and conditions proposed by HSAA and recommended by the union to their members, unlike other failed ratifications.”The union says it’s not calling a strike vote at this time, but it is asking AHS and the government to present a better wage offer.“I believe we can still reach a fair agreement that reflects the respect they deserve and the pressures they face,” Parker said.“But we need a commitment from the government to invest in the people who make health care possible.”Horner says it is now up to the union to “determine why the ratification vote failed regarding their own proposed deal.”“Alberta’s government remains ready to return to the bargaining table when the union and its bargaining team gain a better understanding of their members’ interests and priorities," he said.“Out of respect for the bargaining process, I have no further comment at this time.”HSAA says it will be talking to members in the coming weeks to determine next steps.
