In Newfoundland, 15 months of negotiation and debate failed to accomplish what a single threat was able to do: get the provincial government to pay residents the same wages as their counterparts in Nova Scotia.
“It was nothing other than imminent catastrophe that motivated [the government],” says Dr. Gavin French, president of the Professional Association of Internes and Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador (PAIRN). In the end, PAIRN got action by threatening to withdraw provisional services its members provide as locums, including emergency room services.
PAIRN had asked the province to start negotiations in 2001, 3 months before its contract was due to expire. Talks started 6 months later, but the government “essentially said no to everything we wanted,” said French, a general surgery resident. Indeed, the government asked to remove some benefits, including payment of malpractice insurance and school registration fees.
The main issue, however, was wages. Newfoundland residents, the lowest paid in the country at $32 000 annually (PGY-1), wanted parity with Nova Scotia ($37 000, PGY-1); in Ontario, PGY-1 residents earn $40 000. Initially the government wouldn't discuss the issue, and PAIRN could exert little pressure because legally they could not withdraw services. However, they could withdraw optional provisional services, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association supported the threat.
On the day PAIRN members were slated to act, the province agreed to reinstate the payment of malpractice and university registration fees and to pay residents the same wage as their counterparts in Nova Scotia, which meant a 15.6% increase over 2 years.
And there was a new clause in the agreement: negotiations for the next contract must begin next March. “This won't happen again,” vows French. — Donalee Moulton, Halifax