Health-care administration workers call for province to hike wages, get contract done

The province’s 5,000-plus unionized health administrative employees remain without a contract after nearly three years.

“They have not had a raise since 2019,” said Sandra Mullen, president of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU), which represents 3,800 of the employees.

The workers firmly rejected a contract offer in April from their employers, Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. In June, the employees gave their unions – the NSGEU, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Unifor, who bargain together in the Council of Unions – a strong strike mandate.

Mullen said the four-year offer of annual wage increases of 1.5, 1.5, 3 and 0.5 per cent was not enough to keep up with inflation.

The strong strike mandate followed failed attempts with conciliators, she said.

Mullen said the challenge is essential services negotiations, which have been held jointly with contract talks. The Essential Health and Community Service Act requires that an essential services agreement be reached, including what positions and how many are deemed essential, before the union workers can exercise their right to strike.

A news release distributed by the NSGEU on Tuesday said employer representatives from Nova Scotia Health and the IWK continue to drag their feet on bargaining and hide behind anti-union legislation.

‘Struggling to get by’

“The (Essential Health) Act is clearly being used as a shield to prevent job action,” said Susan Gill, Unifor national representative. “Meanwhile, we have thousands of members – 85 per cent of whom are women – struggling to get by on the low wages being offered by this government.” 

Dates are set for those negotiations and the unions are hoping for an essential service.

“If there’s any impediments to collective bargain, it’s not us,” said Premier Tim Houston, who was making an announcement in Canning.

“I think people can see that our government is committed to the collective bargaining process,” he said. “I think they will have seen that in some of the results we’ve had with different unions.” 

The health administration employees perform critical tasks in hospitals and community care settings throughout the province, the release says. 

They are the first point of contact with patients, they manage registrations, control the switchboard and communications, ensure test labels are accurate, assign beds, share lab results with clinical staff, book appointments, transfers and admissions, order and receive supplies, manage payroll and much more.

The unions, who say that without these workers, health care doesn’t work, launched province-wide radio advertisements this week, calling out Houston for his lack of respect for these workers. 

“We prefer to have those discussions at the table and they’ll continue at the table,” Houston said of advertising and media campaigns.

“I won’t allow Nova Scotians to go without access to essential services, particularly I will not allow Nova Scotians to go without access to health care because of a labour disruption.

“It will not happen,”

‘A living wage’

Mullen said some of the employees earn $18 or just above. 

“The living wage in Nova Scotia is far above $18,” she said.

Bev Strachan, president of CUPE Local 8920 said “members don’t understand how government can boast about $2 billion in unexpected revenues while allowing them to remain among the lowest paid health-care workers in Atlantic Canada.” 

Last week, the government announced that the province’s growing population and rebounding economy drove a government revenue increase of $2 billion for fiscal 2022-23.

“We’re calling on government to get us back to the table,” Mullen said. “They have been negotiating deals with nurses and doctors, to which there is a lot of hidden money. The contracts put those folks as leaders in Atlantic Canada and middle of the Canadian pack. Some of our members here are paid less than their counterparts within Atlantic Canada. … We need to have our members paid appropriately. They are working in difficult situations.”

A provincial government spokesperson said the work of everyone in the health-care system, including the health administrative professionals who work across the province to support Nova Scotians every day, is valued.

“The province is committed to open, honest, and meaningful collective bargaining with public sector unions, and we are hopeful the employers and Council of Unions can reach an agreement without any disruption to services,” the spokesperson said. 

Working two jobs

Mullen said many of the unionized employees are working two jobs to make ends meet.

“They do have to take post-secondary education to get this work and they see that other jobs (workers) are surpassing them with less education,” Mullen said. “They love the work that they do or they wouldn’t be there, but they do need to be paid an appropriate wage.”

The affinity for the work and frustration with the low wages is evident from submissions of several health administration workers to The Chronicle Herald opinions section.

“I stay because I want to help people, I want to make a difference for someone who needs it,” said Jackie Dunn of Halifax, who has seen her pay go up by only $3 an hour in 11 years of service with Nova Scotia Health in duties that include unit clerk, booking and registration clerk and administrative assistant. 

“These positions require knowledge, patience, empathy and trust, they need people who have the education to back it up, which I had to prove I had before being able to accept the position,” Dunn said.

“They need to be able to handle seeing people at their worst, getting sick in front of you, people being angry just due to not feeling well, being able to call a code in a calm manner and putting the patients and your team first. 

“Our job is to help our teams help the patients and if you think just anyone could do all this, you’re sadly mistaken, Mr. Houston.”

‘Because you matter’

Lori Murphy of Brooklyn Corner says she is likely to be a patient’s first contact at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville, where she has worked as a health information clerk for more than six years. 

“If you aren’t coming for blood work you will come to my desk or one of my co-workers to register for most all other appointments in the building,” Murphy said. “While you are with me I make sure all your personal information is correct to ensure you get phone calls or appointment letters sent to you. I also make sure your emergency contacts are up to date so you know someone can be contacted.”

Murphy said she checks that patients’ family doctor information is correct so they get all the needed reports and she deals with almost all departments in the hospital. 

“I admit you so you can have your surgery and bed to stay in. I am a detective for those who come in not knowing why they are there. When you forget your requisition for X-rays or ECG I will phone the doctor if I can and get it for you to make sure you get the test you need.” 

Murphy said she advocates for patients and provides directions for where they need to go.

“You may see me pushing a patient in a wheelchair because they are too frail to do it themselves. I am a listener when they are crying because they just lost a loved one. I am the one who helps to calm you when you are scared of the procedure you are about to have.”

For all that, Murphy said she’s been “yelled at, sworn at, belittled by patients and/or their families, had health cards and papers thrown at me, yet I still come to work every day to help patients” and to make sure they are looked after. 

“Because you matter to me. … I value my job. We deserve respect.”