ATHABASCA - Let’s get one thing straight, no one is happy jobs are disappearing in the oil and gas industry. No one is rubbing their hands together with glee that people aren’t working in the patch. People who self-identify as being on the right keep saying “no one was upset when oil and gas jobs disappeared.”
Yes, people were. This is Alberta and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who does not know someone or has a relative or two or five who worked or are working in oil and gas.
Here’s the thing, life isn’t pie. Just because you got a narrow slice doesn’t mean you should hope everyone gets one. Blame the oil companies, not the nurses or teachers.
Instead of demanding oil execs be accountable for the damages they have caused the economy by removing jobs in the never-ending quest for the almighty shareholder profit we have turned on each other.
If you truly think nurses and LPNs are overpaid, go find one and say it to their face. If you truly think teachers just slack off and sit around babysitting your kid all day, go say it to their face.
These aren’t some nebulous people who in theory are overpaid and underworked, they are your friends, neighbours and family members. They live beside you; they are active in the community.
There are already numbers that show the bare minimum of nursing staff needed to be available to care for 'X' number of patients and you can be sure the government and AHS has walked that bare minimum line since before AHS was created.
If you already complain about the emergency room wait times how do you think that will improve with fewer staff? Casual and part time staff don’t get overtime. All overtime for full time staff must be approved.
And frankly, I want my nurse and LPN to be making good money. I don’t want someone who feels they are even more overworked and underpaid to be the one putting a needle in my arm.
