Health Care Council of Unions Bargaining Update
As you are aware, Health Care Council of Unions representatives met with employer representatives on Monday, March 4th to exchange proposals and have had another six dates at the bargaining table with employer representatives. Talks have been productive with good progress being made on non-monetary items, so far. Two additional bargaining dates are scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th and Wednesday, June 19th, and we are seeking additional dates for bargaining in June and July.
At the same time, the Council continues to work towards reaching an Essential Services staffing agreement, as is required by legislation. So far, 12 dates have been held, and another is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25th.
What are Essential Services?
As a result of legislation passed by the past Liberal provincial government, the NSGEU now bargains as part of a Council of Unions. Along with Unifor and CUPE for the Health Care Council, we collectively represent approximately 9,000 health care workers working in a wide variety of roles at Nova Scotia Health (NSH) throughout the province and the IWK. We are also now compelled by legislation to work with the employer to establish an Essential Services staffing agreement prior to any legal strike action taking place.
Next week, we will begin releasing a series of videos on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, highlighting the important work being done by members in this bargaining unit. Please watch out for these videos and share them widely.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and support as we navigate this round of contract negotiations. Please keep a close eye on your email over the coming weeks and speak with your coworkers to ensure they are receiving updates from the union, as well.
If you have questions or concerns about the bargaining process, please contact a member of your committee as follows:
Local 195 Uta Berthold-Brush, utacbb1@gmail.com
Local 100 Veronica Drake, v.burke87@gmail.com
Local 100 Bria MacDonald, bria.mac@hotmail.com
Local 100 Shaun Naugle, naugle.shaun@gmail.com
Local 122 Peter Perry, pperry@nsgeu.ca
Local 122 Natalie Steele Quinn, natalie.steele@gmail.com
Lead Negotiator Lynette Johnson, ljohnson@nsgeu.ca