AMA President Dr. Michael Giuffre

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) has hinted they're not opposed to taking strike action if the Province doesn't come back to the table to negotiate a fee settlement for doctors.

Health Minister Fred Horne announced November 19 the Provincial Government will move ahead with new fees for physicians, in spite of not being able to come to an agreement with the AMA.

President of the AMA, Dr. Michael Giuffre spoke out against the compensation package on November 20, sending a letter to Horne asking that he come back to the negotiating table. At a press conference in Calgary the same day, Giuffre called Horne’s figures “misleading”. Giuffre contends the deal will actually result in a pay cut for doctors over five years, once some programs are cancelled and other fee changes are factored in.

“We are taking this step because these negotiations have gone on too long,” explained Dr. Giuffre. “The minister has tried to impose a settlement upon physicians rather than take appropriate steps to reach a solution. We recognize that these negotiations are complex and difficult. It’s a big health care system.

If the minister feels we are at an impasse, then why not use dispute resolution tools that work everywhere else? We have asked him to do so repeatedly and said we would be willing to live by the findings of an arbitrator.”

Giuffre noted that the minister’s decision to impose a settlement is particularly unsatisfactory, given what this health care system has gone through in recent years. “Morale in the medical profession is low – as Alberta Health Services surveys demonstrate."

The AMA’s letter requests a return to negotiations and calls on government to do the following: Rescind the imposition and its contents and agree to deal with all issues relating to the agreement as outlined in the minister’s letter to the AMA on November 16, 2012. Ensure both parties are committed to finding a solution expediently by setting a deadline of December 31, 2012 to complete a new agreement, ready to share with the Alberta Medical Association membership for a ratification vote. Should a new agreement not be ready by that date, either party will be able to submit the outstanding matters to a fair dispute resolution process agreed to by both parties.

Horne responded publicly, saying he'd talk to the AMA, just not about money.