๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐โ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
๐ฆ๐. ๐๐ผ๐ต๐ปโ๐, ๐ก๐ โ The Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP) is calling on the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to honour its commitments and show genuine respect for our provinceโs allied health professionals by following through on promises made in the collective agreement โ particularly the long-overdue development of a new pay scale.
After months of discussion and signs of momentum, government abruptly pulled the rug out from under significant work that had been done over the past year toward developing a new pay scale for allied health professionals. AAHP โ alongside its union partners, NAPE and CUPE โ has been working in good faith with government representatives to advance this critical commitment. Yet at the most recent meeting, AAHP were told that government did not support any of the proposals or ideas brought forward to date. Even more troubling, there was no proposed alternative plan, no new proposals, and no timeline โ effectively sending the entire process back to the drawing board without explanation. This reversal is deeply frustrating and undermines the progress that had been made, while leaving urgent recruitment and retention challenges unaddressed.
โGovernment made commitments in writing, commitments that were supposed to reflect the value and importance of allied health professionals , and yet, here we are, more than a year later and still with no proposals, no progress, and no accountability,โ said Gordon Piercey, President of AAHP. โThis failure to act is more than just disappointing; itโs disrespectful. It sends a clear message to the people who hold our public healthcare system together that their contributions donโt matter.โ
AAHP says this lack of follow-through is part of a broader pattern of disregard for collective agreements and the employees they protect. A recent example is the now-retracted decision by NL Health Services (NLHS) to impose blanket leave restrictions during the CorCare go-live period โ a move that ignored negotiated provisions requiring that leave be assessed individually and not unreasonably denied.
โWhile that directive was eventually withdrawn, the fact that it was even contemplated shows a troubling disregard for the rights of healthcare professionals,โ Piercey said. โWhether itโs delaying a promised pay scale or attempting to override negotiated leave provisions, these actions point to the same underlying problem: a lack of respect for the agreements in place and for the people theyโre meant to protect.โ
AAHP is calling on government and NLHS to change course โ to engage meaningfully with frontline professionals, to honour the commitments theyโve made, and to recognize that the systemโs sustainability depends on treating allied health professionals as valued partners, not as an afterthought.
โOur members go above and beyond every single day in a system that is under immense strain,โ Piercey said. โThey deserve dignity, respect, and action โ not empty promises and broken commitments. Itโs time for government to step up and deliver.โ
AAHP remains committed to holding both the employer and government accountable, protecting the rights of allied health professionals, and advocating for the changes needed to strengthen Newfoundland and Labradorโs public healthcare system.
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๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐:
Erin Curran
erin@lupinecommunications.com
709-325-7193