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“By agreeing to these additional conciliation dates, we are leaving no stone unturned and taking every possible step to try and reach a fair collective agreement for our members.” — Jason MacLean, NSGEU President.
Halifax (31 July, 2017) — The Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE) has agreed to two conciliation dates on August 8th and 9th with the Nova Scotia Public Service Commission instead of the two hearing dates that had originally been set aside for an arbitration hearing with the Labour Board.
Government has assured the NSGEU and the Labour Board that they will not oppose arbitration if these two additional conciliation dates prove to be unsuccessful in concluding an agreement for civil servants.
First sign the government interested in reaching an agreement
“Up until now, we have had no indication that government is genuinely interested in reaching an agreement with the over 8,000 civil servants we represent,” says Jason MacLean, President of the NSGEU. “By agreeing to these additional conciliation dates, we are leaving no stone unturned and taking every possible step to try and reach a fair collective agreement for our members.”
There are over 8,000 members of the NSGEU who work in the Civil Service providing a vast array of important public services across the province. They work in Access Nova Scotia centres, child welfare, corrections, the courts, education, finance, inspections, health & safety, wildlife, fisheries, mining, and forestry – just to name a few.
Civil Service members without a contract since March 2015
Civil Service members voted to reject the provincial government's final offer on December 14, 2016. That final office included a four-year wage package with two years of zeros, a third year of one percent, and a fourth year of 1.5 percent with a 0.5 percent increase on the last day of the contract. The offer also included the elimination of a long held benefit, the Public Service Award (PSA). The benefit would not be offered to employees hired after April 1, 2015 and it would be frozen for current employees as of April 1, 2015 paid out at the wages the employee earns when their employment ends (or upon retirement). The PSA was negotiated in 1974 and took its current form in 1984. It was negotiated to help recruit and retain workers to the Civil Service.
The Civil Service Master Agreement expired March 31, 2015.