The $30,000 over two years is in addition to other incentives outlined on the union’s website. It’s not necessarily the money, according to MNU president Darlene Jackson.
“It’s more about having work-life balance and having more nurses in the system,” she told CBC News in an interview Monday. “I hope these numbers will address some of our critical deficiencies.” Last week, Manitoba Premier Heather Stephenson announced a $200 million plan to add 2,000 health professionals to the public system. The plan focuses on retaining staff, training more professionals by expanding health care programs in Manitoba and recruiting new workers through immigration and graduation by lowering barriers to entry, the premier said. Retention and recruitment premiums for nurses are stacked, meaning a person can receive as many incentives as they are eligible for, the association said. Nurses who work full-time for two years could get $10,000 a year for two years, starting Jan. 1, 2023. If they promise to stay for at least two years, they could get an additional $10,000 over two years. Those working weekends, including Friday night shifts, could be eligible for an extra $8 an hour starting November 18. Jackson believes this motivation is probably the most important for nurses and the health care system as a whole. “There seems to be a lot of difficulty in staffing. That’s where we’re seeing beds closing due to lack of staff. I really hope this incentive actually works,” he said. Any nurse who refers another nurse to the public system could also earn $1,000. To incentivize wellness, the province is offering a one-time increase to each nurse’s health spending bill of $500 for full-time nurses and $250 for part-time employees. Travel nurses going to remote or northern locations will receive a $4 hourly pay increase from the first shift they worked as a travel nurse. While the MNU and Manitoba Doctors were consulted on the development of the plan, the head of the Manitoba Paramedics Association said emergency services were not asked to participate.

“Bleeding Paramedics”

Rebecca Clifton, the advocacy group’s executive director, said the provincial government has failed to address a severe shortage of paramedics. “We’re really bleeding paramedics out of this province. They’re willing to go into any other profession or take incentives that are offered, like in Saskatchewan for $10,000 to go there and work,” she said in an interview Monday. Clifton said in other jurisdictions, paramedics participate in long-term planning and are incentivized to stay on the job. “When other groups see the value that paramedics can bring to the table and offer these incentives and these better workplaces, training and advancement — all of which we don’t have in Manitoba — it’s a very easy decision to go elsewhere,” he said. . The Manitoba Paramedics Association says the province is “bleeding” paramedics and the provincial government should include them in its plan. (Jason Empson/CBC) The prime minister acknowledged the paramedic shortages in an interview with CBC News on Monday morning, but said nursing shortages must be addressed first. “We want to make sure that, first and foremost, Manitobans get the health care they need when they need it. So we’re really looking at filling those gaps that are most important first – nursing and so on. “We will continue to evaluate as we go, however, to see what is needed and where.” Clifton said the government’s No. 1 priority should be creating incentives, advancements and compensation for remaining paramedics. “This has to happen now. This had to happen yesterday, because there’s nobody left and there’s nobody to fill those positions.”