HALIFAX, NS, Oct. 27, 2024 /CNW/ - Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston's premature election call is interrupting collective bargaining for thousands of health care workers in the lowest-paid classifications in acute care, long-term care, and group homes.
"This round of bargaining was health care workers' chance to see if Premier Houston meant what he said during his last campaign when he promised to fix health care," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Now, the premier has decided to try to secure his own position before making sure all the workers get what he promised them. He's asking Nova Scotians to grade his essay before he's finished writing it."
The Council of Health Support Unions, made up of representatives from Unifor, NSGEU and CUPE, began discussions with the province and employers in September, with many dates scheduled through to December.
This unit's collective agreement expired on October 31, 2023 and their current wages were negotiated prior to the pandemic and the subsequent dramatic increases to the cost of living.
"Aside from abandoning his own commitment to a set election date in July 2025, Premier Houston is interrupting vital health care negotiations. This delay is jeopardizing improvements to health care workers' lives and to the care Nova Scotians receive," said Unifor Atlantic Regional Director Jennifer Murray. "Abandoning health care workers at the table like this doesn't point to this being a top priority for Houston and his government."
As it stands, the Council of Unions plan to keep their bargaining dates with Nova Scotia Health (NSH) and the IWK to negotiate language, but they will not be able to discuss anything with a monetary impact. This will likely waste months of valuable time as the elected officials get settled back in, pushing negotiations well into 2025 for a group that hasn't received any wage increases since 2023.
The Council represents approximately 4,100 workers across the province who work in a non-clinical capacity to provide operational support in classifications like maintenance, dietary, sanitation and housekeeping among others.
Unifor is also in bargaining with the province for long-term care and group home workers who were on the front lines of the pandemic in the province and have yet to see necessary and much-deserved pay increases.
"With a strong majority in the House and a very clear mandate from Nova Scotians to address the issues in our health care system, I'm not sure what is to be gained by putting us through a pre-holiday election," said Murray. "There was absolutely no ambiguity in the last election in terms of what Nova Scotians wanted so I think our members are wary and will be watching for signs of Houston leaning away from those previous commitments that everyone is still counting on and wanting to see."
Unifor will be looking for commitments from all party leaders to:
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
For media inquiries, please contact Unifor National Communications Representative Shelley Amyotte at [email protected] 902-717-7491
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create...
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