Manitoba nurses could make thousands more for long-term, full-time, and weekend work

Full-time Manitoba nurses could get paid $30,000 extra if they promise to stay in their jobs for two years under a government plan to retain and attract health-care workers, the Manitoba Nurses Union says.

The $30,000 over two years is in addition to other incentives outlined on the union's website.

It's not necessarily all about the money, according to MNU president Darlene Jackson.  

"It's more about having work-life balance and having more nurses in the system," she told CBC News in an interview on Monday.

"I'm hopeful that those numbers will address some of our critical shortages."

Last week, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson announced a $200-million plan to add 2,000 health-care professionals to the public system.

The plan focuses on staff retention, training more professionals by expanding Manitoba health-care programs, and recruiting new workers through immigration and graduation by reducing barriers to getting into the system, the premier said.

The retention and recruitment premiums for nurses are stackable, meaning a person can receive as many incentives as they are eligible for, the union said.

Nurses who work full-time for two years could receive $10,000 per year for two years, starting Jan. 1, 2023. If they promise to stay on for at least two years, they could receive an additional $10,000 over two years.

Those who work on weekends, including Friday evening shifts, could be eligible for an additional $8 per hour, starting on Nov. 18.

Jackson thinks this incentive is likely the most important for nurses and the health-care system as a whole.

"That seems to be where there's lots of difficulty staffing. That's where we're seeing beds being closed because of lack of staffing. I'm really hoping that incentive really works," she said.

Any nurse who refers another nurse to the public system could also earn $1,000.

To incentivize wellness, the province is offering a one-time increase to each nurse's health spending account of $500 for full-time nurses and $250 for part-time employees.

Travel locum nurses who go to remote or northern locations will get a pay bump of $4 per hour, effective the first shift worked as a travel nurse.

While the MNU and Doctors Manitoba were consulted on the development of the plan, the head of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba said emergency medical services weren't asked to participate.

'Hemorrhaging paramedics'

Rebecca Clifton, the administrative director for the advocacy group, said the provincial government failed to address a severe paramedic shortage.

"We are truly hemorrhaging paramedics out of this province. They are willing to go into any other profession or take incentives that are being offered, like in Saskatchewan for $10,000 to hop on over there and work," she said in an interview on Monday.

Clifton said in other jurisdictions, paramedics are factored into long-term planning and given incentives to stay on the job.

"When other groups are seeing the value that paramedics can bring to the table and they're offering those incentives and those better workplaces and education and advancement — all of the things that we don't have in Manitoba — it's a pretty easy decision to go elsewhere," she said.

The premier acknowledged the paramedic shortfalls in an interview with CBC News on Monday morning, but said nursing shortages must be addressed first.

"We want to make sure that, first and foremost, Manitobans get the health care they need when they need it. So we're really looking at filling those gaps first that are most paramount — nursing and so on.

"We'll continue to assess as we move on, though, to see what is needed and where."

Clifton said the government's number 1 priority should be creating incentives, advancements and compensation for the remaining paramedics.

"That needs to happen now. That needed to happen yesterday, because there's nobody that's going to be left and there's nobody to backfill those positions."