MEDIA RELEASE Response to letter from Minister of Health and Wellness

Earlier today the Minister of Health and Wellness issued a statement regarding the ongoing bargaining between Nova Scotia Health, the IWK and the Council of Health Care Unions.

Here is the response from Council of Health Care Unions:

“It is disappointing that 48 hours before we were set to return to the bargaining table, the Minister of Health has decided to politicize and undermine health care bargaining by negotiating through the media,” said NSGEU President Sandra Mullen.

“The Minister issued a release and letter that has no other impact than to derail the bargaining process and will continue to leave many health care workers dead last in wages in Canada,” said Susan Gill, National Representative Unifor.

“During this round of bargaining the health care system remains over 1000 health care professionals short, with no viable plan to recruit and retain more workers,” said Karen MacKenzie, National Representative CUPE.

“Nova Scotians were promised a government that would fix health care. Today, Nova Scotians who may have cervical cancer are waiting up to 18-months for an ultrasound when best practice is to have an ultrasound within 30-days. Today, the Life Flight service for children sometimes sits idle because of shortages,” said Mullen. “Nova Scotians were promised better than this.”

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The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents nearly 36,000 workers who provide quality public services Nova Scotians count on every day.

For more information, or to arrange an interview with NSGEU President Sandra Mullen, please contact:

Lucas Wide, NSGEU Communications Officer,

902-483-0662 (cell)

lwide@nsgeu.ca