Alberta doctors reject imposed settlement
AMA president Dr. Michael Giuffre says doctors will lose money under new contract
The Alberta Medical Association says the province's doctors will not accept last weeks imposed pay settlement from the provincial government.
AMA president Dr. Michael Giuffre calls the deal misleading and says physicians are ready to go back to the negotiating table.
Watch CBC Local News at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. MT to hear what Calgarians think about the imposed contract.
Health Minister Fred Horne has said that will not happen, but Giuffre hopes Horne will come around.
"We think that he will think through what he has done. He will see the affect it's had on physicians. I can tell you that I have received hundreds of emails and hundreds of phone calls from very angry physicians that will not tolerate the imposition," Giuffre said.
"Both doctors and government need to resolve disputes, with a dispute resolution process. No one person can unilaterally decide disputes."
- Almost 10 per cent of the entire Alberta budget goes to paying doctors.
- Alberta doctors are paid 29 per cent above the national average.
The government imposed the contract last week when the two sides hit an impasse after 20 months of negotiations.
The plan is based on the offer the province presented to the Alberta Medical Association in October.
The province says the deal is worth an extra $463 million for physicians.
But the doctors say that isn't true and that physicians will actually lose more than $200 million under new funding changes from the province.
Keith Brownsey, a political science professor at Mount Royal University says in situations like these, the public usually sides with the doctors.
"Society just doesn't like politicians as much as they do doctors. So doctors are trusted. End of story," Brownsey said.