Nurses across the province will hold information walks on Thursday to show support for the public health care system and front-line workers.

On January 15, formal bargaining began for the United Nurses of Alberta's Provincial General Agreement. According to a UNA news release, public-sector employers are proposing four years of pay freezes and massive rollbacks to the nurses’ current collective agreement.

In November, the UNA said Alberta Health Services was planning to downsize and that as many as 750 Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses could be laid off in the next three years.

Ahead of Valentine's Day, the UNA is hoping to send a message to Albertans and the provincial government.

"We're asking the government not to cut the heart out of health care and the heart being nurses," says Cameron Westhead, second vice-president with the United Nurses of Alberta. "With thousands of layoffs of front line workers being planned by the government we're wanting to make sure the public knows that this is what is under consideration by the government and asking the public to join us in pushing back against those regressive changes."

Westhead says nurses will take part in information walks on February 13 to raise concerns about these government plans and decisions to cut public health care and the impact it will have on safe patient care.

The walks are set to take place at 30 health care facilities across Alberta, including four in Calgary. UNA members and supporters are welcome to join the events, with members and other health care workers encouraged to do so on breaks and non-work times.

UNA represents more than 30,000 RNs, RPN's and allied health care workers throughout Alberta.

 

*With files from High River Online

 

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