The Registered Nurses’ Union is demanding that the health authority reverse its directive to restrict vacation and personal leave when its CorCare initiative goes live.

The RNU says health care workers, including its members, received a memo indicating that “discretionary leave requests will not be approved” during the freeze period which spans from February to late May.

Union President Yvette Coffey calls that unacceptable and “a clear violation of collective agreement rights, and an insult to nurses.”

She believes the decision will have ripple effects across the broader health care team.

Coffey says leave restrictions must be negotiated and not imposed by memo.

“I’m telling you, our members are mad. I’m actually here visiting a family member at the Health Sciences, the Health Sciences is abuzz here today since that memo came out and people are not happy.”