NSGEU nurses and home support workers confront premier

HALIFAX – Hundreds of home support workers and nurses from right across Nova Scotia gathered Saturday morning outside the Westin Hotel in Halifax to have their voices heard.

More than 2,300 registered nurses with Capital Health will head back to the table Monday and try to hammer out a deal. The workers are in a legal strike position beginning April 3, but fear the Nova Scotia government will pass legislation to force employees back to work.

Last month, the Liberal government introduced Essential Service Legislation forcing hundreds of Home Support Workers to return to work after just one day of job action.

“There’s a very strong possibility that legislation will be introduced on nurses, going back to the table does not mean we have a deal” said Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union.

Nurses at the rally told Global Halifax the issue keeping them from reaching a deal has nothing to do with money, but patient safety.

“There’s days when we don’t even get breaks. There’s days when we can’t even go to the bathroom, and when we do get a break, you worry about your fellow RN left in there with six sick patients” said Joan Bourque, a registered nurse.

Inside the Westin Hotel, the Liberal Party held their Annual General Meeting. In an attempt to get the government’s attention, picketing workers stormed inside the hotel.

Hundreds of union members marched through the hallways and chanted. Security kept most protestors away from a staircase that led to the meeting room, and police helped escort them outside.

A small group, including the NSGEU’s president, did make it to where officials were having lunch and ran into the premier himself, where they passionately told him about the need to bargain and not pass legislation.

“We clearly sent a message. He got on the elevator with his bodyguard and they came downstairs and we just let them go” says Jessome.

“It’s part of democracy. They’re obviously expressing their views, but I hope they get back to the bargaining table and find a resolution at the bargaining table” Premier Stephen McNeil told Global News shortly after the incident took place.

So far, the premier remains mum on whether or not the government will pass legislation to force nurses back to work in the event of a strike. If that happens, workers aren’t ruling out taking action of their own.

“If legislation is introduced and passed , we’re not ruling out the possibility that many nurses will use the opportunity to resign. Whether it will be mass or not, we don’t know” Jessome added.