Health Care Bargaining Update: Essential Services

As you know, the last day of scheduled bargaining is tomorrow, Aug 29.

Yesterday the Minister of Health & Wellness issued a statement and letter directing the NSH and IWK administration to prepare for a strike as the Province “has just no more to offer” to the union and its members in the bargaining .

As a result, the Council of Unions is focusing on completing its essential services agreements at the NSH and the IWK. As you know, on Monday the Council referred the outstanding disputes related to the NSH plan to the Labour Board.

The Council has an essential services agreement with the IWK that may require updating. As a result, NSGEU sent the following letter to IWK President and CEO Krista Jangaard urging the IWK to appoint their Joint Essential Services Committee members and meet as soon as possible.

Please continue to monitor your email for future updates.

Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to the IWK:

Dr. Kistra Jangaard
President and CEO
IWK Health Centre

Dear Dr. Jangaard:

I am writing regarding the Essential Services agreement between the Health Care Council of Unions and the IWK.

The Minister of Health has written IWK and released publicly a letter largely designed to position the province publicly in the event of a labour disruption in Health Care. The letter claims the Province is “has just no more to offer” and thereby takes collective bargaining with your Health professionals into the public domain, a move that is likely to derail a possible agreement on August 29.

As such, and in follow-up to the Minister’s request that you prepare for labour disruption, it is important the IWK and the Council begin those preparations.

The Council is committed to reaching a fair settlement. However, if bargaining fails on August 29 because the province remains unwilling to reach a settlement that is fair to Health Care members, the Council will ask the conciliator to file his report and will conduct a strike vote.

This means the IWK could be in a legal strike position by as early as mid September.

As you may be aware, provisions of the Essential Services agreement now in place for the IWK and the Council, includes the requirements that the parties appoint a Joint Essential Services Committee (JESC) for the IWK and that the JESC meet, no later than 7 days before a possible strike or lockout, to review the staffing levels in Schedule B.

The Council is now appointing its committee. By way of this letter, I ask the IWK to appoint its members and be prepared to meet as soon as possible.

I remind you of the IWK’s obligation under its essential services agreement to provide any amendments to the previously agreed-to staffing levels no later than seven days before a possible strike.

Yours truly,

Shawn Fuller