Nurses: Investments needed to fix sick-time problem
Tuesday, 22 November 2011 12:14
Published Monday November 21st, 2011
Money | Higgs said issue is costing taxpayers about $87 million each year
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By CHRIS MORRIS
The Daily Gleaner
The New Brunswick Nurses Union says the Tory government will have to spend money to make the health-care sector a healthier place in which to work.
Finance Minister Blaine Higgs has said he's unhappy with the high rates of absenteeism in the province's health-care system, rates that he says average about 20 days a year and annually add $87 million to health-care budgets.
The Finance Department said among nursing home staff, the absentee rate is the highest - 21 days per employee per year. Those days are in addition to scheduled vacations and statutory holidays.
"I'm thinking in business terms," Higgs said recently as he discussed government reform and cutting costs.
"What do we need to do? Let's look at absenteeism in health care - $87 million it's costing us for absenteeism, an average of 20 days a year."
Marilyn Quinn, president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, said nurses also are concerned about high rates of absenteeism, which create stress throughout the whole system.
Quinn said she believes New Brunswick nurses have among the highest rates of sick time in the country.
"Our nurses are at risk every day for injuries," she said in an interview. "We have 250 nurses in this province out on long-term disability - that means they have been out for more than four months and could be out two years and longer. There are 170 nurses out on Worksafe - compensation claims for injuries in the workplace.
"We absolutely have an interest in getting it under control. Nurses want workplaces that are safe, where they can practise safely."
Quinn said she has met with Higgs to discuss the issue and has put forward proposals to improve working conditions.
"We have said to the government, 'We'll work with you.' But it will require a small investment on behalf of government," she said.
"That proposal now sits at the Department of Health. We've taken it to Blaine Higgs. We're anxious to talk about our sick time as well."
Quinn said the proposal from the union is basically an injury-reduction program that would require, among other things, the purchase of new equipment to help nurses lift and move patients.
"Nurses often have to lift patients well beyond the weight they should be lifting," she said. "Nurses who get neck injuries and back injuries sometimes never return to bedside nursing."
Quinn said imposing some kind of penalty system or arbitrarily taking away sick days won't help.
"Taking away sick days would not make people healthy or prevent injuries. We know there is a huge financial cost to the system, but we see the cost to our members."
Higgs, a former executive with Irving Oil, has said on several occasions that he's concerned about the cost of absenteeism in the public sector.
Statistics Canada surveys on the Canadian labour force have consistently shown that absenteeism in the public sector is much higher than it is in the private sector. As well, across the country, health care has much higher absentee rates than other sectors.
"Full-time employees in the public sector (more likely unionized or female) lost more work time (11.8 days) in 2010 for personal reasons than their private-sector counterparts (8.2 days)," Statistics Canada said in its more recent report on work absences.
CUPE representative Ralph McBride said in an interview he can't figure out where Higgs got the $87-million cost figure.
McBride said he believes the cost is significantly lower.
"We've heard that absenteeism is something he wants to look at," he said of Higgs.
"He has to understand this isn't the Irving Oil corporation. He has that private-sector mentality in some of his thoughts. It doesn't work that way. We're working in a field that deals with sickness. If you're a front-line worker, you're going to be exposed a whole lot more than others."
