Nurse bonuses go out this month, but casual workers, some licensed practical nurses not eligible
Total cost of payments is $83 million, $9-million higher than Liberals estimated during election campaign
Retention bonuses for nurses will arrive before the end of the year, but not everyone will be eligible.
Premier Susan Holt has announced the $10,000 payments promised on the campaign trail will be sent to 9,950 nurses before the year's end.
"One of the reasons why we made a commitment during the election was that we need to retain and care for every caregiver in this province and particularly the nurses that are on the front lines of the crisis that we've been experiencing," Holt said at a virtual question and answer session with New Brunswick Nurses Union president Paula Doucet and Health Minister Dr. John Dornan, on Tuesday.
"We can't recruit in when we don't have a staff that is feeling respected and valued by their employer, so we thought that issuing a retention payment immediately would signal that value for the work and our request that you stick with us for the next two years as we try to improve working conditions."
All permanent registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse managers and supervisors, working in both regional health authorities and with Ambulance New Brunswick and Extra-Mural, are eligible.
Permanent part-time employees will receive a bonus pro-rated to their average hours over the last 12 months.
Nurses represented by the New Brunswick Nurses Union and licensed practical nurses represented by the New Brunswick Union working in long-term care homes will also receive the payments.
Not all CUPE employees eligible
However, licensed practical nurses represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees will not be eligible.
According to Holt, CUPE has refused to sign a letter of agreement on the bonuses over their opposition to Bill 17, or the Pension Plan Sustainability and Transfer Act.
That legislation transferred several locals represented by CUPE from a defined benefit pension to the shared risk model used by the rest of the civil service.
Holt said she is committed to repealing the legislation and working with CUPE to ensure the licensed practical nurses they represent receive the bonuses eventually.
A spokesperson for CUPE New Brunswick said the union has been waiting for a commitment to repeal the legalisation before negotiating any agreements with the government.
"We are eagerly awaiting a formal written statement from the government so we can proceed with the signature of the LPN retention bonuses," Simon Oullette said in an email.
Casual workers will also not receive the bonuses, but Holt reiterated that anyone accepting a permanent position next year will be eligible.
Paula Doucet, president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, appeared alongside Holt and Health Minister Dr. John Dornan for the Tuesday session, which was shared by the government on its X account.
Doucet thanked Holt for holding the session with nurses, calling it "refreshing."
"There is a collaborative relationship that is being built here to really tackle the issues that nurses have brought forward over many years. Like you said, this will not get solved overnight."
The total cost of the payments is $83 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, $9-million higher than the Liberal campaign estimate had pegged the cost.
Eligible nurses will also receive an additional $5,000 payment next year at an estimated cost of $32 million.
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