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.
NSGEU president Joan Jessome says it appeared the employer was planning a lockout all along.
Halifax (1 June 2010) - Employees of Pictou County Shared Service Authority (PSSA) were locked out of their jobs when they showed up for work Monday in Stellarton.
The workers, members of Local 60A of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees' Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), were confronted at their workplaces in Stellarton with notices on the doors and padlocks on the gates. They are seeking a first union contract.
“The way bargaining unfolded this weekend makes me wonder if the employer’s intention was to lock us out on Monday all along,” says Joan Jessome, NSGEU president.
“At 4:30 pm on Friday, with a strike deadline looming, the employer would not continue to bargain. They wouldn’t return to the bargaining table until 6 p.m. on Sunday night and by 10 p.m. they presented the NSGEU bargaining committee with their final offer and said 'take it or leave it.'”
Jessome says the "offer" included clawback demands affecting vacation, pensions, mileage rates and bereavement leave and other areas.
“We are asking for an agreement that would mirror the existing one we have with the Municipality of Pictou (one of the signatory municipalities in the new PSSA),” Jessome says.
“I am not sure whether the employer understands the impact a lockout could have on its ability to continue business as usual. There are over $25 million dollars worth of construction and development projects pending approval - large-scale projects pending - and $13.5 million in new residential development, as well as a waste treatment plant to run," she noted.
"It is important we get back to the bargaining table and negotiate an acceptable collective agreement.”
Members of the bargaining unit include administrators, building inspectors and development officers, lab technicians and waste treatment plant maintenance operators. These employees issue permits for the subdivision of land, process building permits, do building inspections and operate the waste treatment plant.
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