Nova Scotia health-care unions move to conciliation in first step toward job action

Unions representing health-care workers in Nova Scotia have filed for conciliation to reach an essential services agreement with the province, a first step toward a possible strike.

The Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU) said in a news release Wednesday that it, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Unifor have met 13 times with Nova Scotia Health, but they have been unable to agree on a staffing plan that would ensure essential services in the event of a strike.

“We’re hopeful that the employer will finally engage meaningfully in this process so we can conclude a fair contract for these health care workers,” said NSGEU first vice-president Hugh Gillis in an interview with CBC News on Wednesday.

The office of Labour Relations Minister Allan MacMaster did not immediately respond to a request from The Canadian Press for comment.

Since 2014, an agreement spelling out which workers are essential and not allowed to take any job action has been required before health workers can legally strike.

The three health-care unions, which have been without a collective agreement since Oct. 31, bargain together in the Council for Unions.

Health sectors represented by the Council for Unions include diagnostic imaging, laboratories, pharmacy, mental health and addictions, cancer therapy and paramedics.

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