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Province demanding long list of unacceptable concessions, including the issue of sick leave which nearly led to a province-wide strike by Ontario correctional workers.
St. John's (13 March 2009) - Contract talks between the Newfoundland and Labrador government and the province's correctional officers have broken down over the province's demands for concessions.
The correctional officers, represented by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE), had been in talks for the past several weeks.
Concessions involve issues such as protection for casual or temporary workers, seniority, scheduling and time off in lieu of overtime, which correctional officers cannot access or get paid for despite the fact that it is on the books.
The officers have also been asked to accept concessions on sick leave, an issue they took to arbitration and won after being cut from 24 days to 12 in 2004 when the province legislated public employees back to work following a province-wide strike.
Ontario correctional workers recently settled a dispute with the Ontario government in which sick leave was also a major issue. The province ultimately backed down in the face of a united front by officers in all parts of the province.
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