10 Years Too Long to Wait for Implementing Health Human Resources Plan

For Immediate Release

May 29, 2025

Nearly two years later, with no public updates, NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) says the province’s Health Human Resources Plan outlines the issues healthcare workers and unions have been raising for years. He says the 10-year plan is too long for the people of the province, and action must be a priority now.

The 526-page report outlines several issues, from barriers in recruitment and retention, numerous problems with wages in the Job Evaluation System (JES), to worker burnout, staffing shortfalls, and difficulty finding housing for new workers.

“There is nothing new in this report. Everything in here is what unions and workers have been calling for and raising awareness about for years,” said Dinn. “With healthcare workers facing burnout, excessive workloads, and rising violence, the need for a comprehensive plan is more urgent than ever, and healthcare workers, and the people of this province, can’t wait 10 more years for implementation.”

Dinn says that while government continues to spend millions on travel nurses, these critical issues around wage equity, recruitment and retention, and workplace realities have gone unheard. He says it’s time the government gets to work.

“We have called for exit interviews for healthcare workers to highlight the reasons they are leaving. We have called for a review of the JES after hearing multiple unions and healthcare professionals speak out about the inequity. Government hasn’t budged,” said Dinn. “It shows how out of touch government is—using 2022 data to determine how many nurses are needed, for example. How do they expect to strengthen the system using old models and data? It’s unfair to workers and to the public.

“Recruiting and retaining goes beyond bonuses—it’s about listening to our workers and addressing issues as they arise. Government says they consult, but this report shows that over the years, the issues healthcare professionals raise are not priorities to this government. Maybe this report wouldn’t be 526 pages if the government listened.”

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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca