Local 97 – CDHA Nurses – Essential Services Update

Under the new essential services legislation (Bill 37), your Essential Services Committee has been meeting with your employer in an effort to establish acceptable staffing levels.

We have now completed our work on the area-by-area review with the employer, and have reached agreement on staffing levels in a majority of areas.

In areas where there we have not been able to reach an agreement on essential service staffing levels, the NSGEU has provided a counteroffer to the employer. That counteroffer outlines the essential service staffing levels your union believes are appropriate in the event of a strike, based on information we have gathered from frontline workers.

Also required under Bill 37 is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the employer and the union. This MOU covers such things as payment of benefits, monitoring of essential service staffing levels during a strike, as well as the rotation of those providing essential services based on seniority and skill-mix. MOU discussions are well underway and the union and employer have exchanged proposals.

Although we have reached some agreement on essential service staffing levels in a majority of work areas and the MOU currently being negotiated, it is possible that either the union or employer may exercise their right under Bill 37 to refer any outstanding issues to the Labour Board for resolution.

We will keep you up-to-date on this important work as we continue to meet with the employer over the next few weeks.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Essential Service negotiation process, please contact the NSGEU by calling 424-4063 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca.