NSGEU wins grievance re: pay denied to nurses on approved leave during strike

Today, the NSGEU received a copy of an arbitrator’s decision on a policy grievance we had filed as a result of the Employer denying payment to a number of members that were on approved leave during the strike in April.

A total of 19 nurses directly affected, who were on short-term illness/maternity leave/educational leave and were all denied pay during the strike.

The union has successfully argued that the Employer has no right to alter the status of a member on an existing approved leave on the day of a strike. It was earnings that were not contingent upon that nurse arriving for work that day and therefore still an entitlement for that nurse. We are now contacting the Employer to ensure that any nurses denied pay are made whole in terms of any monetary amount that they were denied as a result of the Employer’s violation of the collective agreement.

This is a great win for the union and our members, especially in light of everything that led up to and resulted from that strike. If you believe you were denied pay and you were off on approved leave, please contact Rick Wiseman (rwiseman@nsgeu.ca).

(Please note: there is still another separate grievance that is still ongoing pertaining to the two-day suspensions handed out for those involved in the wildcat strike. We will keep you posted on the status of that grievance, as well).