Right in the centre -Searching for solutions
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- Published on Thursday, May 11, 2017
Ken Waddell
The Neepawa Banner
The provincial government is in the midst of debating bills that would limit pay increases for almost everyone who works for the government.
How have we gotten to this point in health care, union agreements and labour negotiations? Basically, the NDP ran the province from 1999 to 2016. The NDP, or Today’s NDP as former leader and former premier, Gary Doer labelled the party, was run by the unions. A large percentage of the delegates at NDP annual meetings were “designated” or automatic delegates from labour unions. There were so many designated seats at the NDP convention that unions had trouble filling them all. Naturally, labour delegates basically ran the show. At a convention, you could visibly see the divide. The union delegates were there because they were paid to be there, albeit they may well have been enjoying the convention process. The other regular delegates were there on their own expense. It was the union vote that propped up Greg Selinger and it was the union vote that kept him as leader and premier.
They are also debating a bill that would reduce the number of bargaining units that deal with health care workers. The PC government wants to reduce the number of union bargaining units in health care. They claim that B.C. has five health care collective bargaining units. In Saskatchewan, there are 14. Currently, Manitoba has 183, which they say is not sustainable. Nobody in the labour movement really wants to lower that number. It’s a bit like municipal councils, amalgamation is great idea, as long as it is some place else that is going to be amalgamating.
The province, that is us, all of us, regardless of what sector we claim to be in, has a problem. The province has been losing about a billion dollars a year for several years now. That is simply not sustainable. The problem is compounded by the fact that Manitoba Hydro’s debt has been climbing for two basic reasons. The NDP completely bungled the Bi-Pole III project and cost the province an extra billion and the Hydro dam construction program has also gone way beyond reason with debt. The dams being built today will take decades to pay for themselves and may never do so.
The province led by the relatively new PC government has to rein in the debt. They are proposing a two year wage freeze, followed by two years of small increases. They are proposing a reduction in health care bargaining units. Labour isn’t happy. Labour is having trouble getting sympathy from the general public as well. The PCs and Premier Pallister promised balanced budgets and they are trying to bring that about. That sentiment has a wide range of pubic support.
Last week, during the two days my wife was at HSC for surgery, there was some time to watch and listen. I saw dozens of workers and while walking the seemingly endless tunnels back and forth from the hospital ward to the hotel, I was happily assisted by many staff, from doctors to cleaning staff and everyone in between on the pay scale. The staff were all very, very friendly and helpful. That leads me to believe that the majority of people are in the health care business because they want to help people back to good health. I wasn’t surprised but was very pleased.
That said, in listening to conversations, staff are also frustrated with things that could and should be improved. The HSC women’s hospital is ancient, decrepit, not all that clean and fortunately being replaced. One question though, if the NDP are so much in favour of helping women, why did it take them 17 years to start building a new women’s hospital? If the NDP had not chosen the extra expense of the western Bi-pole III project, they could have built two or three such hospitals. The new one is going to be very nice, but why did it take 17 years.
I also sensed that change is in the air, as staff seemed optimistic, they seem to feel they are making health care progress. It would be nice to think that a new approach to health care by a new government is encouraging staff to come up with new solutions. There is one example that everyone who ever goes to HSC complains about and that is the food. It is pretty bad and it is managed in the most stupid way you can imagine. Meals are prepared, God knows where, and brought to the patients regardless of their needs or condition. I saw a full turkey and gravy meal wheeled up to a whole floor of post-operative patients. Maybe 30 meals being brought in. Some patients were unconscious, but they were all brought the same meal as everyone else. There was no consideration for dietary needs, levels of appetite or medical conditions. I understand that is going to change. Let’s hope it’s one of many needed changes.
