Nova Scotia health care administrative staff preparing to enter legal strike position

HALIFAX, N.S. — Thousands of Nova Scotia health care administrative workers across three unions are preparing to strike following a dispute over wages.

CUPE Local 8920, NSGEU and Unifor have teamed up to release a province-wide radio advertisement calling out Premier Tim Houston for the gap in wages between administrative staff and other health care workers.

“Our members don’t understand how the government can boast about $2 billion in unexpected revenues while allowing them to remain among the lowest-paid health-care workers in Atlantic Canada,” said CUPE Local 8920 president Bev Strachan.

The unions noted that most workers union contracts expired three years ago, and some members are currently being paid wages of $18 per hour, which is below the recently released living wage estimates.

“Premier Houston doesn’t think our nurses should be lowest paid in Atlantic Canada – why does he think our admin should be?” said Sandra Mullen, NSGEU president.

Although a strike mandate was given by union members in June, members have yet to decide on an essential services agreement.

Unifor National representative Susan Gil said employer representatives from Nova Scotia Health and IWK have been using anti-union legislation to prevent progress.

“The act is clearly being used as a shield to prevent job action,” said Gill.

“Meanwhile, we have thousands of members – 85 per cent of whom are women – struggling to get by on the low wages being offered by this government.”

The three unions are calling for employers and the provincial government to return to the bargaining table to offer a fair deal.

Once the essential services plan is in place and a two-week notice period passes, more than 5,000 health care administrative workers will enter legal strike position.