‘Several years in the making’: Alberta nurses ponder strike vote after labour negotiations stall [Video]

United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) delegates are meeting in Calgary this week to discuss stalled labour negotiations with the province.

Hundreds of members gathered in the city Thursday morning to decide how to move forward after recent disagreements with their employer around pay and staffing.

On Friday, UNA’s official negotiating committee will meet.

The schedule is full after informal mediation meetings last month failed to bridge two sides that “remain far apart,” according to president Heather Smith.

“How we got here is several years in the making,” she told CTV News.

“We have very stressful workplaces and a very demoralized and tired workforce. We need to be able to retain and recruit — and for most, nurses in this province want respect.”

The union, which represents more than 30,000 nurses, is seeking 30 per cent pay raises spread over two years, following five wage freezes in the past decade.

The Alberta government’s standing offer is a 7.5 per …