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Eleven days after four women NSGEU/NUPGE members took to the picket line in support of workplace fairness, an agreement has been reached.
Halifax (24 July 2012) - The four members of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), who work for Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, are back on the job after their bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the employer over the weekend.
The women voted in favour of the tentative agreement on July 23 and will be back to work very soon.
After becoming members of the NSGEU/NUPGE in 2010, negotiations for the first collective agreement have been long and difficult, culminating in a legal strike that saw picket lines in Dartmouth and downtown Halifax.
The two-year deal, which dates back to Nov. 1, 2010, and expires Oct. 31, 2012, includes a number of provisions which will help improve the working conditions at the small but vital non-profit organization.
The members will receive a lump-sum payment equivalent to the amount they would have made if they’d been given the same one per cent increases that almost every other public service worker in the province received over those two contract years.
The new collective agreement also lays out clear rules and provisions around such basic work rights as seniority, job posting procedures, benefits, expenses, overtime, vacation allotment, sick leave, formal grievance and arbitration procedures, leaves of absences, holidays and disciplinary files.
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