Blue and white logo of the NS Federation of Labour

Unions call on the Houston government to rebuild trust and labour relations by repealing Bill 148

The following joint union statement was issued today by the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. On behalf of their joint membership of more than 70,000 public sector workers, unions and the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) are deeply disappointed by the Minister of Labour Relations Allan MacMaster’s refusal to repeal Bill 148. In comments made to reporters during Cabinet on Thursday, the minister stated his government would not repeal the public service wage suppression legislation, known as Bill 148, which was introduced and enacted by the Liberal government. Furthermore, MacMaster referred to the legislation as “redundant”. “Bill 148 will never be ‘redundant’. The existence of the bill casts a dark shadow over every bargaining table,” says Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) President Danny Cavanagh. “We are sure that the thousands of workers who had their wages suppressed and lost a hard-fought retirement benefit because of this legislation would … Read more…

Logos of three unions: Unifor, NSGEU, and CUPE

Unions file for conciliation after talks with NS Health and IWK break down

Talks between the Health Support Bargaining Unit and Nova Scotia Health and the IWK have reached an impasse, with unions filing for conciliation in hopes of securing a new collective agreement for more than 3,000 health care workers across the province. “We are most focused on supporting these members’ concerns about their working conditions and helping them during dramatically rising inflation,” said Linda MacNeil, Unifor Atlantic regional director. “Support unit workers don’t get the attention the more visible members of the health care teams do, but they are just as integral to the operation of our health care services and need to be respected for the essential work they do.” The Health Support Bargaining Unit is comprised of members represented by Unifor, CUPE and NSGEU. They work in classifications such as maintenance, power engineering, plumbing, electrical, laundry, food services, and environmental services. “The members of this bargaining unit kept patients … Read more…

NSSBCU logo

Bargaining update for CUPE school support staff

Member update on bargaining from the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions. The bargaining process There are two levels of bargaining taking place simultaneously, “provincial” and “local”. CUPE’s education locals, known collectively as the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions (NSSBCU), represents members working for all seven Regional Centres of Education and the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP). Your CUPE provincial bargaining team is made up of the presidents of eight locals and the CUPE education sector coordinator, and with the assistance of the CUPE Atlantic regional director. The employer’s provincial bargaining team is made up of a human resources representative from each of the eight Regional Centres of Education, as well as one government representative, and one legal counsel (who is also their chief spokesperson). In January, the parties signed a “memorandum of conditions” for CUPE common table (provincial) bargaining. This agreement was signed by all seven … Read more…