Alberta Nurses asked to take 0% increase by Duckett

CBC News - Edmonton - Health-care wage freeze in works for Alberta

A quote from the article that I thought would raise an interesting discussion:

Kevin Taft, Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Riverview, said health-care workers have bigger concerns than money.

"What I hear the most often from staff isn't concern about wages, it's concern about the working conditions," he said.

"I'm sure that most staff would be happy to settle for zero if Stephen Duckett could actually get the system running properly again."

Taft said the wage freeze is understandable-as long as Duckett's wage is frozen as well.

"If Stephen Duckett is expecting zero per cent increases for the staff, then I would hope his contract reflects that for himself as well. That would give him and Alberta Health Services a lot more credibility on this issue," he said.

Is this true? Would you take a zero percent increase if they could "fix" AHS? What are the biggest things you believe need changing?

I'm still a student PN, working as a casual NA. From what I've seen in my limited time in the trenches of a LTC facility, there are many, many frustrated staff, but some of them complain they don't have enough time to get everything done the way it should be done... but still find time to sit and chat with each other in the staff room while not on breaks. I've seen a lot of what I call, "screwing the pooch" on company time and it drives me nuts. Patient care is not what it could, or should, be and it makes me leary about what I'll find when I'm out of school. Let's just say the rose-colored glasses are off.