EDMONTON — A strike by 16 thousand licensed practical nurses and health care aides was averted Saturday after Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees reached a tentative four year agreement minutes before picket lines were set to form. A ratification vote is expected within two weeks.
The province said the deal includes a general wage increase of three per cent each year over four years, along with market adjustments dating back to April 2024. In a weekend radio appearance, Premier Danielle Smith said government agreements across the public sector have “landed around three per cent for four years and then market adjustments based on what we see in other jurisdictions.”
The province had initially offered a 12 per cent increase over four years. Smith said she hopes the pattern set in this deal will guide negotiations still underway with other health agencies and allow the government to begin addressing workplace issues that fall outside bargaining.
The union has said staffing shortages and burnout remain major concerns, with vacancy rates around 12 per cent. AUPE president Sandra Azocar said the agreement includes steps toward addressing those pressures but added that the system will require further improvements.
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