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January 29, 2002
Nurses working in hospital clinics, community nurses, and nurses in long term care threatened by privatization
Further interpretation and analysis of Bill 29 raises fears of just how far the government and the employers are willing to go to decimate health-care delivery and nurses’ rights:
Contracting out and privatization
- Bill 29 prohibits a collective agreement from restricting or limiting a health employer’s ability to contract out what the legislation calls "non-clinical services"
- "non-clinical services" can be interpreted very widely
- in order for nursing services not to be open for contracting out, they have to be
- medical, diagnostic or therapeutic services delivered by an RN or RPN
- to a person who is currently admitted to a bed in an inpatient unit
- in an acute care hospital; Extended Care Units have been eliminated from the definition of acute care hospitals. Any nursing work in programs which do not meet all of these criteria can be contracted out.
- this opens the door to contracting out and privatizing all services delivered by nurses in the community, work by RNs and RPNs in long-term care, as well as the long-term care homes themselves
- it also would allow contracting out of many services delivered by nurses in acute care, such as out-patient clinics, ambulatory care, cancer clinics, day surgery and ER.
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In an interview in the Vancouver Sun on January 28, Health Services Minister Colin Hansen said kidney dialysis would be a good candidate for contracting out. When pressed in the Legislature, he conceded that hospital emergency wards could be contracted out to private businesses as well.
Nurses’ gain in Manitoba - public community care works best
Through lobbying efforts by Manitoba nurses, the provincial government in Manitoba brought some home care nurses who had been employed by the Victorian Order of Nurses back into the Manitoba Nurses’ Union contract. Similarly, the government brought a privately operated wellness clinic back into the public system. All because it was more efficient and cost effective.
Next steps - action
It’s important to take action now because we know the government is considering further legislation on wage and benefit rollbacks which could affect nurses negatively. Only by convincing the public and employers that legislation is not the way to go, can we hope to limit or prevent further legislation. Here’s what you can do:
- attend union meetings on cuts and contract rollbacks
- get involved in local fight back campaigns in your communities and work sites
- check the BC Federation of Labour web site for details of Campaign BC at www.campaignbc.ca
- watch for notices in local papers
- check your union bulletin board for information
- visit or write a letter to your MLA, to force them to either defend cuts to healthcare in their communities or to challenge their own party when they take such drastic and reckless actions.
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