Strike averted for Alberta nursing-care workers after last-minute deal with AHS: AUPE

The Alberta Hospital Workers Union has withdrawn its members from picket lines after a brief strike.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) announced just after 9 a.m. Saturday that its members would no longer be on strike after a tentative agreement was reached for care workers.

This reversal came after AUPE announced on social media. Just after 6 a.m. Saturday, an agreement with Alberta Health Services was not reached until the 8:30 a.m. deadline for work to begin, prompting members to go on strike.

In a statement on its website, AUPE said its negotiating team reached a tentative agreement with AHS “just minutes before our strike was scheduled to begin.”

Prime Minister Danielle Smith said on her fortnightly radio show on Saturday morning that she was very hopeful that this tentative eleventh-hour agreement with AUPE management would end the union action.

“There were a lot of people gathered very late last night trying to bridge this latest gap. We weren't really that far apart and it was just frustrating. Everyone was [saying] “Oh, what do we have to do to get to the finish line,” Smith said of last-minute negotiations with the union.

In a statement, Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said he was also encouraged by the agreement and hopes AUPE members will have the opportunity to vote on the agreement.

“We respect the work of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and health care assistants (HCAs), and they deserve a fair agreement. The settlement reflects strong wage proposals for LPNs and HCAs to ensure Alberta wages remain competitive across Canada,” Horner said.

AUPE notified AHS of a strike on Wednesday after wage negotiations failed. The 16,000 affected workers include licensed practical nurses and aides.

AUPE said it will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. at its headquarters in west Edmonton to share Learn more about the preliminary agreement.

More to come…