NSGEU to grieve suspensions handed down by Capital Health

“The NSGEU/NUPGE cannot let this type of bullying behaviour stand, so we will be fighting this. We will grieve each and every one of these suspensions.” — Joan Jessome, NSGEU President.

Halifax (22 May 2014) — The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE) has received word that management at Capital Health has decided to take the unprecedented and excessive step of issuing two-day suspensions to all nurses who were involved in the job action of April 1, 2014.

Capital Health punishing nurses for speaking out against Bill 37

Nurses were fulfilling a professional obligation when they protested Bill 37: advocating on behalf of their patients.

“At a time that our health care system is already struggling to provide quality care to patients because of understaffing, I am appalled that Capital Health has chosen to further jeopardize their fragile relationship with their staff,” says NSGEU President Joan Jessome.

“Capital Health’s actions will only serve to further undermine the quality of care that health care providers are able to deliver to patients, by taking almost 200 nurses away from the bedside.”

Punishment does nothing to repair fractured health care system or address patient safety issues

Capital Health’s heavy-handed punishment is far in excess of the disciplinary letters that were issued during Bill 68. These suspensions will lead to worsened employer-employee relationships, compromised patient care, and increased overtime costs.

“The NSGEU/NUPGE cannot let this type of bullying behaviour stand, so we will be fighting this,” says Jessome. “We will grieve each and every one of these suspensions.”

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