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AUPE presses Capital Health to address Orthotechs’ pay
May 23, 2007 - 12:55pm MST |
Knight said the health region faces a serious problem because these employees are not currently paid wages that properly reflect their training and skills — or that address the shortage of trained Orthotechs available in Alberta to do the important work of mending bone fractures.
“This is a problem for this group of employees, who in addition to being underpaid are seriously overworked because of the shortage of people with the skills to do this important work,” said Knight.
“It should also be seen as a problem for the employer, because recruiting and retaining Orthotechs is increasingly difficult,” he said. “Individuals who might consider this field have concluded that the cost of training and the time required to train are not justified by the small amount of additional pay now available for Orthotechs.”
This has an obvious impact on the ability of the health region to deliver adequate care for people afflicted with a common injury, Knight stated. “We know that Alberta health regions are competing against each other for this scarce resource.”
The Capital Health Region employs about 40 Orthotechs, short for Orthopedic Technicians. They are members of the region’s Auxiliary Nursing Care employee group, which is represented by AUPE. To become an Orthotech, employees must today first qualify as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
“If we cannot address this problem now, when it should be dealt with, it will certainly become one of AUPE’s priorities in the next round of health sector bargaining, which is expected to begin in 2008,” said Staff Negotiator Jim Petrie, who will lead the union’s health sector bargaining team.
“Solving this problem now makes sense for both the employer and these employees,” Knight concluded.
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