Health Care Council of Unions Filing for Conciliation

Your bargaining committee representatives on the Health Care Council of Unions have met for the last scheduled dates of bargaining on Tuesday, June 18^th and Wednesday, June 19^th. The parties have had nine days of bargaining so far, and while talks have been productive, they have not been able to make progress on key monetary items.

Your employer has not yet come to the table prepared to deal with this important issue. The union’s data shows that many classifications in the Health Care bargaining unit are now lower paid than their counterparts elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, due in large part to wage restraint and imposed settlements of the past government. Combined with the inflationary pressures of the past few years, your committee understands that wages are a high priority during this round of bargaining.

As a result, we have made the decision to file for Conciliation.

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.

We will advise the bargaining unit when Conciliation dates have been scheduled.

Please watch your email closely over the coming weeks, as you and your colleagues may be asked to make some important decisions soon.

Over the past two weeks, we have been releasing and promoting the work being done by members in this bargaining unit through a series of videos. If you’ve not seen them already, please take a moment to watch and share them! They are also posted on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.

The Council also 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 25^th. 

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.

We appreciate your ongoing patience and support as we navigate this round of contract negotiations.

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