HALIFAX – The four unions representing Nova Scotia health care workers will continue to represent their members, but bargain with the provincial government jointly.
The government and union representatives announced Friday that the issue of labour representation had been resolved.
Under the resolution, unions will represent their members but bargain their collective agreements through four councils of unions.
Leaders for the four unions involved — the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, Unifor and the Canadian Union of Public Employees — said they are more united than ever in the wake of the announcement.
NSGEU president Joan Jessome said she was pleased, but acknowledged the loss of “thousands of years of experience” with health care professionals leaving the industry in the past 6 months.
Janet Hazelton, president of NSNU, will lead negotiations on behalf of nurses, but their own unions will still represent them.
Premier Stephen McNeil said 10 days ago that the province would try to get a deal with the unions after the government dismissed an arbitrator who was hired to settle union membership.
On Friday, he said the government never intended to move workers between unions, and hailed the news as “a good day for Nova Scotia.”
Health workers protested against a bill last fall that amalgamates health boards and aimed to shrink the number of bargaining units from 53 to four by April 1.
Labour leaders argued the bill was undemocratic and unconstitutional because it stated no union could represent more than one of the bargaining units for nurses, health-care workers, clerical workers and support staff.
With files from The Canadian Press and Brett Ruskin, Global News
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