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“The committee is incredibly disappointed by the lack of respect the McNeil government has shown for the spirit of the collective bargaining process." — Joan Jessome, NSGEU President
Halifax (13 Nov. 2015) — The negotiating committee for civil service members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE) is recommending acceptance of a tentative agreement that protects members’ job security.
NSGEU/NUPGE reaches agreement on its members' most critical issue
During this round of negotiations, civil service members identified that the most critical issue for them was job security, and the NSGEU/NUPGE has managed to protect that in the agreement.
In the face of impending legislation that threatened to take away critical job security provisions and set an unacceptable five-year wage pattern, the committee was forced into the decision to recommend acceptance of an offer which is far from acceptable.
“The committee is incredibly disappointed by the lack of respect the McNeil government has shown for the spirit of the collective bargaining process,” says NSGEU President Joan Jessome.
“Ultimately, however, they voted to keep public sector workers in the workplace, showing they are more concerned for the future of Nova Scotia’s public service and keeping Nova Scotians working than this Liberal government is.”
Concessions successfully fought off during negotiations
The tentative agreement includes a four-year wage settlement with all concessions (takeaways) off the table, with the exception of the Public Service Award. Most importantly, the offer does not take away any of the very strong job security protections negotiated in the last two rounds of bargaining.
The offer is being sent via email to the 7,600 civil servants the NSGEU/NUPGE represents. Ratification votes will be held in a few weeks' time.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 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