The Union of Northern Workers will meet with nurses Wednesday evening to address allegations of poor working conditions revealed earlier this month in a strongly worded letter to the NWT’s Health and Social Services Authority.
The union has made no public comment on the letter, which describes a “daily struggle” to find nurses and beds to service patients in the old Stanton hospital. The letter predicted these concerns would continue in the new hospital, which opened last month.
In addition to poor working conditions, the letter also said hospital staff were forced to cancel surgical operations on a regular basis due to staff shortages.
In response to the letter, Sue Cullen, CEO of the NWT Health and Social Services Authority, listed efforts to retain and hire more staff. She also encouraged staff to contact her office directly for further feedback.
All Local 11 members — including those who didn’t sign the letter — are invited to Wednesday’s meeting, where the union plans to discuss the identified issues and “brainstorm ideas to make positive change,” states a bulletin posted to its website.