Union leaders say the provincial budget is missing the mark without action on wages.

CUPE secretary-treasurer Stacey Lucas says the budget is funding projects, but doesn’t fund the people needed to make those projects succeed.

Lucas says while money has been set aside to repair NL Housing units and hire staff, existing vacancies remain because pay has failed to remain competitive with the private sector.

NAPE President Jerry Earle says many public sectors are under severe strain and government is not keeping up with an appropriate recruitment and retention strategy.

He says there are examples where wages in the province and in the metro region are not competitive, “and now we’re competing with other provinces, we’re competing with other countries to fill these positions.”

He says the province has to find a way to at least become competitive, and even do better.

Gordon Piercey of the Allied Health Professionals says adding MRIs and increasing long-term care beds is great news, but won’t go far without staffing.

He was pleased to see a graduate tuition refund program introduced for students who choose to stay in the province after gaining their education, but wants to know if that applies to students who must leave the province for training.

“We have an awful lot of health professionals, and even if they’re from the province, they have to leave to become a physiotherapist, or an occupational therapist, or a speech pathologist.”

“So, we’re competing with them leaving, and returning and getting them back from wherever they’ve gone to live to train for their program and right now I’m not even sure if that would qualify for the tuition reimbursement piece.”