Ns Nurses Union Collective Agreement

It is important to note that this task became much more difficult when the Nova Scotia Liberal government passed legislation that freezes union members` retirement benefits and imposes wage moderation, including two years, with an increase of zero per cent. The Commission reviewed the negotiating priorities and collective agreements of Unifor, NSGEU, CUPE and NSNU on acute care. The team checks the language of the contract for all nurses in all categories to reach consensus on what to achieve, what needs to be expanded and what compromises may be needed. The joint union bargaining committee, made up of members of four different unions, including Unifor, NSGEU, CUPE and NSNU, is frustrated by the slow pace of talks for acute workers after spending another seven days at the table with a conciliator. Discussions began in October 2016. Unifor and the other unions believe that a strong strike vote is the only way to reach a fair collective agreement and to roll back the concessions demanded by the employer. There are some monetary gains in the agreement, especially for overtime provisions and stand up and call back. All monetary gains from this new collective agreement will come into effect from the award date (August 8, 2018), except for those due to come into effect on a specified date. For example, some salary increases – which have already been agreed in the conciliation/arbitration vote – are retroactive to 2015 and will soon be visible. Collective agreements may include provisions relating to wages, benefits, leave and leave, hours of work, protection from discrimination and harassment, overtime bonuses, job protection, dismissals and the right to union representation. For the support unit negotiations, Unifor is the main union, and Jim Mott, business agent of Unifor Local 4606, is the co-chair of the Union Council bargaining team.

The Department of Labor and Advanced Education has appointed Christina Browning as conciliator, and meetings are scheduled for November 9, 10 and 16. Discussions with management failed in October with Unifor Local 4600 with NSGEU, CUPE and NSNU. Given the complexity of the task and the fact that unions and employers are far apart but the process is progressing, mediation should take more than these three meetings. The EU Council of Negotiators is continuing its efforts to reach a substantial agreement on services so that the Council can start working together, but the employers` negotiators for essential services were eliminated this summer. The Council of Unions Health Care Bargaining Committee has spent the past few weeks preparing for a conciliation hearing scheduled for the last week of July with Ombudsman William Kaplan`s arbitrator, who will conclude a collective health agreement for our affiliation with the acute care sector with the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) and IWK. This board is composed of Unifor, CUPE, NSNU and NSGEU. This board is now responsible for collective bargaining for all acute hospital workers in Nova Scotia. By the end of 2017, the Council had made minimal progress and almost total closure at the negotiating table.

A conciliator was then invited to intervene and yet no real progress was made. As a result, last week, members of the Public Health Committee gave their bargaining commission a 93% strike mandate. The Council of Health Unions recommends that its members ratify a draft agreement with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK. Sectoral negotiations were imposed on unions when the provincial Liberal government established a single provincial health authority. Dear Member, it is a reminder that your bargaining committee has reached a preliminary agreement with your employer and… As soon as the care board receives the settlement, the unions will share a link to the agreement on their respective platforms and information sessions will be held.