This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
'It is such an honour to come together on something so important to all of us – our members and our families.' - Joan Jessome, NSGEU president.
Halifax (28 Oct. 2009) - Working together, Nova Scotia's most prominent union leaders have forged an historic agreement that will make it easier for the province's health care workers to do what they do best during emergencies: help people.
During a formal ceremony on Tuesday, Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), Darrell Dexter, premier of Nova Scotia, Health Minister Maureen MacDonald and six other prominent union leaders, signed the agreement – called the Good Neighbour Protocol – to protect the health care workers during emergencies such as a pandemic or natural disaster.
 |
| N.S. Premier Darrel Dexter and NSGEU's Joan Jessome |
 |
The agreement began as a NSGEU initiative in 2003, led by Jessome.
“It was an idea that began in response to our members' questions about traveling to Ontario to volunteer during SARS,” Jessome recalls.
“We couldn't tell them if they were going to be protected or who may be paying them, among other things. In light of the need to provide answers for the membership, I sat down with legal counsel and with the Board of Directors and developed the Good Neighbour Protocol.”
Since then, Jessome and the NSGEU board of directors have rallied other unions to participate in the protocol.
Besides Jessome and Dexter, The Good Neighbour Protocol was also signed by Health Minister Maureen MacDonald, Rick Clarke, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL); Danny Cavanagh, president of the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union (NSNU); Susan Burrows, national representative of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), Gerard Higgins, business agent for Local 902 of the Service Employees International Union (SIEU) and Dwayne Fitzgerald, president of Local 727 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE).
“All seven unions together represent about 50,000 workers. It is such an honour to come together on something so important to all of us, our members and our families,” said Jessome during the ceremony.
This agreement protects workers' rights and ensures for seamless support across the province in times of crisis. It ensures workers will be properly compensated and protected, and it will apply to both workers and volunteers.
“It means that when emergencies happen that put a strain on the health care system, Nova Scotians will still have access to the help they need to manage,” said Premier Dexter. “If an emergency hits one part of the province, then the (local) district health authority can call on help from other parts of the province.”
Dexter added that Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction in Canada to forge such an agreement.
Clarke congratulated the health care unions. “The initiative was theirs,” he said. “This shows what we can do when we work together.”
Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction in Canada to forge such an agreement, Dexter noted.
Clarke congratulated the health care unions on behalf of the federation of labour. “The initiative was theirs,” he said. “This shows what we can do when we work together.”
The protocol will be part of the province's planning and response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic and will also apply in any other declared emergencies. The signing fulfills one of the recommendations recently made by the auditor general in his report on pandemic planning in Nova Scotia – released in July.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE