Union demands details on N.W.T.'s use of agency nurses, after arbitrator's decision

The union representing nurses at Yellowknife's Stanton Territorial Hospital says the territory's use of agency nurses is a "true threat" to the health-care system, and it's calling on the government to do an "extensive workplace assessment" of their use.

The demand comes after an arbitrator decided last month that the territorial government had violated a 20-year-old agreement with the Union of Northern Workers (UNW), over the use of non-unionized agency nurses.

Agency nurses are typically employed on short-term contracts through a private hiring agency, and often come from elsewhere in Canada.

According to arbitrator Thomas Jolliffe, in his response to a UNW grievance, the territory has breached a binding 2004 memorandum of understanding signed with the union, in its hiring of agency nurses over the last couple of years.

He ordered the territory to give the UNW details about any agency nurses hired, "that allows the union to monitor such usage." The two parties must also re-establish a working group to help determine when agency nurses may be used.

According to the 2004 agreement, the territory may hire agency nurses only "as a last resort," to avoid health centre closures, and must provide the union with a report explaining the decision.

The UNW has argued that the territory has been relying too much on agency nurses in recent years, at the expense of local nurses and N.W.T taxpayers.

"With twice the hourly pay, free meals, travel, housing, and flexible scheduling, it's not hard to see how for-profit agencies use our tax dollars to attract nurses," reads a news release issued by UNW Local 11, which represents nurses at Stanton, on Monday. 

"This gap in incentives and investment is a slap in the face to taxpayers and resident health-care workers."

The union argues that the practice undermines efforts to build and maintain a stable local workforce in health care and "throws open the door to privatizing other parts of N.W.T. health care."

Nursing agencies cost the territory $5.2 million last year, a spokesperson for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) told CBC News in February. He said the average cost of an agency nurse is $125 per hour, but the costs range from around $105 to $164.  

By comparison, a nurse working full time for the N.W.T. health authority can expect a base salary between $48 and $59 per hour, and with additional benefits they can make around $71 to $85 per hour, the spokesperson said.