Both sides in the current labour dispute at Sunset Manor & Innisfail Country Manor need to get back to the bargaining table to ensure quality care for the community's seniors, says Kerry Towle, the seniors' critic for the provincial Opposition Wildrose Party.
ìThere needs to be open communication because fundamentally the concern here is the care of the client,î said Towle, MLA for Innisfail/Sylvan Lake. ìNo one in our community, the families, the clients ñ want to see these employees go on strike. ìCaregivers are a really important piece of how our seniors in care are looked after.
ìIt is a very personal relationship,î she added. ìThe employer and employees need to go back to the table and sort this out with some sort of agreement that is a win-win for both sides.î
Last week it was announced that the Chantelle Group, a B.C.-based company that owns the 136-bed Innisfail seniors' residence, rejected an independent mediator's recommended settlement that would have given the facility's 115 nursing and support staff its first collective agreement. Company spokespeople would not say why the mediated settlement was rejected but Gord van der Eerden, executive director of the Chantelle Group, said the company was willing to go back to the bargaining table.
Van der Eerden was not immediately available this week for further comment.
Meanwhile, union chapter executive members, who are part of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), met last week behind closed doors to discuss their next move, which could include whether the entire membership will hold a strike vote.
Jacquie Major, a member of the union chapter's bargaining committee, said there is strong resolve with union members to move forward. All employees in the union local branch were asked to meet yesterday (Jan. 20) at the legion to decide their next step.
ìIt is disheartening that this has happened but we are all still together for what we have to do to get a first contract,î said Major, who personally favours going back to the bargaining table with the company.
ìWe need to get back together. We need to get back on the same page,î said Major. ìI can't speak for them (membership) now but I guess we will know more on Monday.î
Last week the company said it has already prepared for a strike and will bring in replacement workers if needed.
Towle said it is a ìdeep concernî of hers if unqualified replacement workers are placed at Sunset Manor & Innisfail Country Manor.
ìWe know clients in care require an intense and very personal amount of care and it is not a job anyone can do,î said Towle. ìIt takes a special person to provide good quality care, and you develop relationships. And that is important. That is what we want. We want the best care possible for our seniors.î
The AUPE local chapter for employees at Sunset Manor & Innisfail Country Manor was successfully organized last May.
A mediated settlement for the local chapter and the owner was reached on Dec. 19 and ratified by local chapter members on Dec. 30, despite many concessions made by the union chapter. The mediator contacted the AUPE on Jan. 3 that Chantelle Group rejected the agreement. The union received a company letter on Jan. 6 confirming the rejection but no reason was forwarded, said union officials.
The union claims employees at Sunset Manor & Innisfail Country Manor earn 30 to 40 per cent less than the industry standard for private for-profit homes, even though the owner receives Alberta Health Services funding for 92 of its beds. Employees currently have no health benefits or sick leave, said the union.
Last week a union official said the mediated agreement contained a recommended wage settlement for a two and a half, two and a half and a three per cent pay increase over three years. The agreement also proposed a 40 per cent employer and 60 per cent employee paid benefit plan compared to the industry standard of a 75 per cent employer paid plan.
