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Transfer of jail medical staff stopped

A provincial arbitration board has halted a plan to put provincial correctional medical staff under the authority of Alberta Health Services, including five workers at Red Deer Remand Centre.

A provincial arbitration board has halted a plan to put provincial correctional medical staff under the authority of Alberta Health Services, including five workers at Red Deer Remand Centre.

A year ago, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees filed a grievance to stop the employee transfer, saying it was not informed of this major operational plan, which impacts workers, during negotiations for its current collective agreement.

AUPE communications director David Climenhaga said the switch could create security risks.

“Now we have medical staff working in jails who are part of the correctional services team who understand the security issues involved in working in that kind of environment,” Climenhaga said on Tuesday.

Under AHS, staff could lose seniority. As part of a new bargaining unit, nurses for example, could be subject to bumping rights that could allow people with no security background to work there, he said.

The grievance was filed on behalf of 186 Correctional Service members employed by the Solicitor General Department to provide medical and psychological services in provincial adult and young offender correctional facilities.

Red Deer Remand has four registered nurses and one secretary.

Nurses working for AHS belong to the United Nurses of Alberta, while those working for the provincial government belong to AUPE.

AUPE’s collective agreement covering correctional medical employees and all other direct employees of the Alberta government will expire on Aug. 31, 2010.

AUPE expects to enter collective bargaining for a new agreement this summer.

szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com