MEDIA RELEASE: Civil Service Bargaining Committee Recommends Acceptance of Tentative Agreement to Protect Job Security

The NSGEU Civil Service Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) is recommending acceptance of a tentative agreement that protects members’ job security.

During this round of negotiations, Civil Service members identified that the most critical issue for them was job security, and we have managed to protect that in the agreement the committee is recommending today.

In the face of impending legislation that threatened to take away critical job security provisions and set an unacceptable five-year wage pattern, the committee was forced into the decision to recommend acceptance of an offer which is far from acceptable.

“The committee is incredibly disappointed by the lack of respect the McNeil government has shown for the spirit of the collective bargaining process,” says NSGEU President Joan Jessome.

“Ultimately, however, they voted to keep public sector workers in the workplace, showing they are more concerned for the future of Nova Scotia’s public service and keeping Nova Scotians working than this Liberal government is.”

The tentative agreement includes a four-year wage settlement with all concessions (takeaways) off the table, with the exception of the Public Service Award. Most importantly, the offer does not take away any of the very strong job security protections negotiated in the last two rounds of bargaining.

The offer is being sent via email to the 7,600 Civil Servants the NSGEU represents. Ratification votes will be held in few weeks’ time.

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The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents over 30,000 women and men who provide quality public services Nova Scotian’s count on every day.

For more information, please contact:

Holly Fraughton, NSGEU Communications Officer
902.424.4063 (office)
902.471.1781 (cell)
hfraughton@nsgeu.ca