HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal government has passed essential services legislation despite outcry from nurses who say it takes away their right to strike.
The move comes after about 2,400 unionized nurses in the Halifax area hit the picket lines Thursday.
Union president Joan Jessome says the nurses will comply with the legislation and end their strike.
The law requires unions and employers throughout the health-care sector to have an essential services agreement in place before job action can occur.
If such a deal can’t be reached, an independent third party decides.
It applies to nurses, paramedics, ambulance dispatchers, hospital employees and people who work in homes for seniors, youth and people with disabilities.
Protesters stage sit-in at Regan’s constituency office
In an effort to get the legislation repealed, seven people staged a sit-in at labour minister Kelly Regan’s constituency office Friday morning, although she was not in the office at the time.
The sit-in started around 9 a.m. and ended voluntarily just past noon.
Kyle Buott, the president of the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council, was among those taking part in the sit-in. He said he spoke briefly with the minister over the phone and expressed his concerns with the bill and the lack of consultation.
Margaret Anne McHugh, the organization’s vice-president, said sit-ins are only the beginning.
“I think it’s an indication of what’s to come. It’s an indication of how fed up people are,” she said. “We will keep fighting this. I don’t care how long it takes.”
*with files from Global News reporter Mayya Assouad and the Canadian Press
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