November 8, 2006	Printable PDF format: 98 kb
Public Service bargaining: discussions are positive, many issues are resolved

Negotiations toward a new contract for nurses in the Public Service continued on November 1, 2 and 3.  The discussions have been very positive with many items being resolved.

The employer has agreed to language which significantly improves protection for nurses against violence in the workplace.  The employer has agreed to work with authorities in the provincial health sector on a province-wide flagging system to notify staff about violent histories of patients/clients.

The employer has also agreed to an increase in mileage and meal allowances.  There were also increases to Health and Welfare benefits.

The employer has withdrawn many concessionary proposals which would have impacted work schedules and provided the employer with more flexibility in scheduling nurses while taking away premium payments.

Issues outstanding include most of the monetary items, as well as issues around postings and required qualifications.  The Public Service Nurses Bargaining Association (PSNBA) is seeking to remove seniority restrictions for employees changing status from auxiliary to regular and vice versa.

The Association is also seeking to introduce incentives that will improve recruitment and retention of nurses in the Public Service. In particular, this would include supplementary payments for working hard to fill shifts.

The PSNBA continues to pursue a contract term that will end closer to the expiry date of the nurses' contract in the provincial health sector. In this way, we will close the gap in wages and assist the Employer in recruitment and retention.

The parties will continue to meet during the next several weeks.  We are optimistic that a settlement will be reached before the end of the year.