Civil Service Bargaining Continues: Conciliation Dates Scheduled

Dear members,

Your Union Negotiation Committee (UNC) will return to the bargaining table with the assistance of a Conciliation Officer to continue negotiations with your Employer on August 18 & 19.

What is Conciliation? Conciliation is a requirement under the Nova Scotia Trade Union Act that takes place when regular negotiations fail to reach an agreement. Either party may apply to the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education requesting the services of a Conciliation Officer. The Conciliation Officer does not have the power to impose a settlement on either party. Instead, their role is to mediate between the parties and help them reach an agreement. 

Your Bargaining Committee requested both Conciliation and Interest Arbitration in order to get negotiations moving forward in a timely manner. Prior to this, the Employer had indicated they weren’t able to meet at all during the summer months. Because they have now made themselves available in August, we have withdrawn our request for the formation of an Arbitration Board at this time.

Your Bargaining Committee appreciates your solidarity and support through this process.

Please watch for updates and remember to share this information with your coworkers. If they haven’t received this email, let them know they should contact the union to confirm their email address.

If you have any questions about bargaining or the bargaining process, please contact a member of your Bargaining Committee below. You can also call the NSGEU at 1-877-556-7438 (toll-free) or inquiry@nsgeu.ca.

Your Union Negotiating Committee (UNC):

Clerical (CL)

Chair – Tammy Gillis, Local 2 – tammygillis@eastlink.ca

Vice-Chair – Sherry Dennis, Local 7 – sherry424@hotmail.com

Professional (PR)

Chair – David Brewster, Local 4 – david.brewster@novascotia.ca

Vice-Chair – Scott Hart, Local 8 – scott.hart@novascotia.ca

Technical (TS)

Chair – Hugh Gillis, Local 480 – secretarytreasurer@nslabour.ca

Vice-Chair – Holly Martin, Local 17 – holly.martin@novascotia.ca

Chief Negotiators:

Odette MacLeod, NSGEU Servicing Coordinator, omacleod@nsgeu.ca

Jim Gosse, NSGEU Servicing Coordinator, jgosse@nsgeu.ca