Alberta Health Services to lay off up to 11,000 staff

The Alberta government is planning to lay off between 9,700 and 11,000 health services employees including those that work in laboratory, linen, cleaning and in-patient food services.


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[TheInfiniteSheldon]

"The cuts will *not* harm the province's pandemic response. Most of the cuts will come through outsoucing services such as *lab work* ---"

The cuts *will* in fact harm the province's pandemic response. *LAB WORK IS HOW THE COVID TESTING GETS DONE*

[Awwscrewit]

Support staff is vital to any business. Get rid of custodians for three or four days and see how the place looks.

[tedlloyd]

If you want to know how well private enterprise looked after seniors in extended care come visit the cemeteries in Ontario.

[jfh]

The private sector always cost more, have lower standards, and the employees are making less and have unstable jobs. But someone is making a whole lot of money out of it.

[ceciliamartinez]

Look at how well retirement and long term homes are being run by private companies all over Canada. The for profit system only cares about one metric- profits.

[vg]

Politics aside, good luck to those 11, 000 people about to lose their jobs.

[GDofRock]

'Don't worry it's only affecting the jobs we don't care about and the poorest people, not the doctors and nurses or healthcare administration staff.'
Greeat. -_-

[itubeoo]

Wow pathetic move, this move is not helping any Albertan.

[magyar]

Lab techs, phlebotomists, environmental services, maintenance, cleaners, etc... are an essential part of healthcare. With out these and other services hospitals can not run... period. These are essential staff, and outsourcing will mean delays and cutting corners, which will results in poorer outcomes for many. There are better ways to save money that don't involve making people worse-off or dead.

[chantalphan]

Those workers have to be there, and make the system run. They should be protected in their jobs.

[laurentbeaulieu]

this is exactly what Jason Kenney in Ottawa in the Harper Regime behaved. Lots of cuts of Public Servants and hiring contracting private companies. However it cost more to hire private contractors as Kenney and Harper found out.

[diceman]

I heard the term " payed for by the government " . Its our money, our tax payed money .
We pay dearly for our health care . Please use my tax dollars to keep these people employed .

[DB-smeu]

How is laying people off who put their life at risk to support health Care a notional crisis and during an economic recession even a political debate? That shouldn't be political it should be just decency.

[yolazerbeam]

Isn't that called premeditated murder?

[doowop]

Great job Rachel in explaining the continuing decline in health cars in Alberta

[RobinC]

Laying off Healthcare workers amidst a pandemic. If that isn't a sign of idiocy I don't know what is.

[flytoheights]

This will increase costs. Not save money or taxpayer dollars. The costs paid to a private company will be higher than the public health care worker wages. Also, private health care workers will have to work longer hours for lower wages and benefits.

[melissaporter]

Apparently “overwhelming” the healthcare system just got called out for the joke it is.

[bparry]

The employees in a hospital setting regard themselves as a team that works together, a team that includes clinical, dietary, cleaning, materials management, finance, information management, maintenance staff and everyone in between. The team works with patient goals in mind. The idea that privatizing is saving money is merely trading pots and reducing the level of care every patient will receive. The fact that they are trying to pull this off during a pandemic shows the systemic apathy this government holds for the people who voted them in. They know it and easily stated that it was a continuation of the NDP Party programs so can they point fingers when (not if) it goes sideways.

[marcoleblanc]

Not very 'essential' after all, were they? LOL get wrecked paper pushers