HALIFAX – Picket lines are expected to spring up on Thursday in Halifax as 2,400 unionized nurses seeking higher staffing levels plan to go on strike.
But with the provincial government poised to pass essential services legislation, the nurses could be back to work as early as Friday.
READ MORE: Labour board pushes Halifax nurses back to work
The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union says it wants to increase staff levels to ensure patient safety.
But the Capital District Health Authority, which employs the nurses, says nurse-to-patient ratios won’t work because such a tool is too inflexible.
The impact of a strike — even a short one — would stretch beyond Halifax because the affected health institutions in the city serve as regional health centres for the province and the Maritimes.
Capital Health CEO Chris Power says each hour that the nurses are on the picket lines is a concern for the health board and affects the safety of patients.
Power says the labour unrest has also made for a tough work environment for all staff.
Some patients have already been transferred to other health districts in the province.
The union has agreed to maintain staffing levels for emergency rooms and units offering dialysis services, cancer care and intensive care.
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