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The union for Alberta hospital workers has called its members back from the picket lines after a short-lived strike.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) announced just after 9 a.m. on Saturday that its members will no longer be on strike after a tentative deal was reached for nursing-care workers.
This reversal comes after AUPE announced in a social media post just after 6 a.m. on Saturday that no deal was reached with Alberta Health Services before the 8:30 a.m. deadline for the start of job action, prompting members to begin the strike.
In a statement on its website, AUPE said its negotiating team reached a tentative agreement with AHS “mere minutes before our strike was scheduled to begin.”
Premier Danielle Smith said on her bi-weekly radio show Saturday morning that she is very hopeful that this eleventh-hour tentative agreement with AUPE leadership will end the labour action.
“There were a lot of people up very late last night trying to bridge that final gap. We really weren’t that far apart and it was just frustrating. Everyone was [saying] ‘oh, what do we do to get to the finish line,” Smith said regarding the last-minute negotiations with the union.
In a statement, Alberta’s Minister of Finance Nate Horner said he is also encouraged that a deal has been reached, and he is looking forward to AUPE members having the opportunity to vote on the agreement.
“We respect the work of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Health Care Aides (HCAs), and they deserve a fair agreement. The settlement reflects strong wage offers for LPNs and HCAs to ensure Alberta’s pay remains competitive across Canada,” said Horner.
The AUPE gave strike notice Wednesday to AHS after bargaining fell apart over wages. The 16,000 affected workers include licensed practical nurses and health-care aides.
AUPE said it will hold a media availability at 11 a.m. at its main office in west Edmonton to share more details about the tentative agreement.
More to come…