Civil Service Bargaining Update: Status of Vote

Since late January, the union has been working diligently to ensure members of the Civil Service are aware of what has taken place during this round of collective bargaining. Unfortunately, the government’s Bill 148 (the Public Service Sustainability Act) has caused a significant delay in the bargaining process, forcing us to hold meetings throughout the province over the winter months.

Bill 148 will, if proclaimed, impose a four year wage pattern of 0%, 0%, 1%, 1.5%, and 0.5% (on the last day of the contract), as well as end the accrual of the Public Service Award for those members who have them effective April 1, 2015, with these awards paid at 2014 wage rates.

Government has made it very clear that if their final offer is rejected and the union applies for arbitration, they will simply proclaim Bill 148.

We are currently doing our due diligence, trying to ensure almost 800 unsigned members of the Civil Service have an opportunity to sign their union cards and become “members in good standing” so they can participate in the vote on the government’s final offer. We want to make sure that all members have their say on this very important issue. We are also in the midst of preparing for our Convention (the event which is held every three years to determine the priorities and direction of the union over the next term), and readying for potential impacts of the government’s budget, which will be introduced on April 19^th.

In the meantime, we do not risk losing any hard-fought benefits of your current collective agreement: the Public Service Award remains in place until a new agreement is reached (or government proclaims Bill 148).

We will be sure to keep you informed of any developments on this issue. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by calling 902-424-0463 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca.

Your bargaining committee appreciates your ongoing support during this very frustrating round of bargaining.