Malaspina Gardens RNs Hopeful

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According to an article in the Daily News the union representing 22 RNs currently employed at Malaspina Gardens is hopeful some alternative can be found to avoid laying off their members.

To be clear, a total of 177  workers at Malaspina Gardens have been served with layoff notice, but this union is only representing the 22 RNs. The BC Nurses Union spokesman was under the impression their members would have been excluded by the layoff notice, but that assumption was based on a inaccurate interpretation of BC labour law.

The union for the nurses is hopeful their members can at least negotiate enhanced severance and retraining among other options. Apparently after working in geriatrics for a long period, it is often difficult for nureses to get hired within acute care.

What Is Really Going On??

The concept of a 'for profit' company trying to control labour costs is not an unreasonable one, however, you might think that 'qualified' workers should command a fair wage regardless if Chartwell hires them directly or indirectly through contracting out. In other words, you would think the people presently working at Malaspina Gardens would be first in line to be hired by another company at pretty much the same wage?

Another possibility which I am just throwing out here, is the notion that with the education industry busily churning out new students in their health care programs there may not be a shortage of new, inexperienced people in the job marketplace. These newbies, may very well be willing to take senior employees jobs for less pay to start,since they likely have a mountain of student debt staring them in the face.

It is also difficult to understand that with an ever aging population, and a health care industry which tells us a shortage of workers is a problem that qualified people would be unemployed for very long.