Wakeham is adding his voice to support the Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP) calls to the Furey Liberals to prioritize the retention of healthcare professionals by reaching a fair deal with the Association.
(February 7, 2024, St. John’s): – PC Party Leader Tony Wakeham is adding his voice to support the Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP) calls to the Furey Liberals to prioritize the retention of healthcare professionals by reaching a fair deal with the Association.
Wakeham was reacting to a scathing statement issued by the AAHP yesterday, which described members as feeling undervalued, disrespected, and misled. AAHP noted the Premier was on yet another taxpayer-funded junket in Dubai to recruit healthcare staff. At the same time, AAHP members are still waiting for a collective agreement after talks broke down after 18 months of negotiations. Premier Furey has yet to make an effort to communicate with the Association.
“The Premier, who loves a good photo op, is overseas again to try to attract healthcare professionals, when the AAHP are ready to hit the streets for a strike,” said Wakeham. “If the situation weren’t so serious, it would be laughable.”
“It is no good to recruit through the front door when people are leaving through the back. Just yesterday, the Registered Nurses Union (RNU) noted publicly that 400 nurses have been recruited, but another 330 have left the system,” said Wakeham. “We have been calling for a Health Human Resources Strategy including a retention plan and the Liberals have failed to deliver.”
“Perhaps if the Premier does recruit some new members of AAHP, he should pass out picket signs for when they arrive in our province. Governing is about leadership, and the Premier should cut his trip short, come home, and meet with AAHP to hammer out a deal. AAHP members deserve better leadership.”
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