Interim compensation for HCAs extended and expanded to cover more health care workers

Nov 23, 2020

Last week, the MGEU informed health care aides (HCAs) that the union and the Provincial Health Labour Relations Secretariat (PHLRS) had agreed to a temporary agreement to support members who have been disrupted by a staffing shortage. The agreement was put in place to allow time to negotiate revisions to the COVID Redeployment Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed off last Spring.
 
The temporary agreement was to be in place until November 20 but has been extended to November 27, 2020 while we work to revise the Redeployment MOA. It has also been expanded to cover all health care members and not just HCAs.
 
The updated temporary agreement states:

Reassignment/Redeployment Interim Premium Agreement

Whereas, as a result of COVID 19 placing extended workforce demands in the areas of Personal Care Homes and Critical Care, Prof Tech and Community/Facility Sectors and Provincial Health Labour Relations Services, on behalf of the Employers Organizations, have agreed to the following:  
Effective from 1600 hours on November 20, 2020 to 1600 hours on November 27, 2020 the following shall apply:
1) Any employee not presently owning a position in a Personal Care Home (PCH), Critical Care Unit or Cardiac Care Unit and assigned by the employer to a PCH in a declared outbreak or Critical Care Unit or Cardiac Care Unit shall be entitled to additional compensation as follows:
a) A $25 premium for each shift in each day, where the majority of the shift is working in PCH, ICU/CCU,  whether they are working their regular scheduled shift or if the employer is required to change the employees schedule, regardless of whether the shifts are worked consecutively. This premium is provided in addition to any other premium/compensation or benefit entitlement under the collective agreement that the employee is currently covered.
A change in schedule for this purpose shall mean a temporary change from the employee(s) regular shift pattern to an alternate shift pattern (ie Day to Evenings).
 b) In the event the Employee is redeployed to an alternate site, a PCH in a declared outbreak or Critical Care Unit/Cardiac Care Unit the employee shall also be entitled to the premiums provided as per MOA on redeployment dated March 13, 2020 in addition to the $25 premium.
 2) Where any employee(s) is required to change their schedule, a $25 premium for each shift in each day, regardless of whether the shifts are worked consecutively will be paid. This premium is provided in addition to any other premium/compensation or benefit entitlement under the collective agreement that the employee is currently covered.
 A change in schedule for this purpose shall mean a temporary change from the employee(s) regular shift pattern to an alternate shift pattern (ie Day to Evenings).
 3) An employee who volunteers to work in a PCH in a declared outbreak or Critical Care Unit/Cardiac Care Unit as an additional shift or overtime shift, shall be provided a $20 premium for each such shift worked in addition to any other applicable premiums as eligible and provided for under the current collective agreement.  

These premiums are in addition to the compensation agreed to in the Redeployment MOA.

MGEU President, Michelle Gawronsky, says that the temporary agreement to provide additional compensation is an encouraging step in the right direction, but there is more the employer must do.
 
“This temporary agreement does not compensate members who are working every day in their home position in an outbreak and it needs to recognize that important work being done.”
 
She says that as negotiations progress with PHLRS, the MGEU will continue to advocate for additional compensation for all members working in these situations.
 

Return to Article List