Potential health care worker strike in N.S. averted after deal is ratified

CITYnews halifax / By 95.7 News Radio Staff

Members of the unions representing more than 9,000 health care professionals in the province have agreed to ratify a tentative bargaining agreement.

In a release, officials from CUPE, Unifor and the NSGEU all said 79 per cent of members voted in favour of the two-year deal.

Highlights of the agreement include economic increases of 3 per cent retroactive to November 1, 2023 and a 2 per cent increase on November 1, 2024.

Paramedic hourly wages at Nova Scotia Health will also be aligned with paramedics employed by Emergency Health Services.

Union members work in such fields as physiotherapy, psychology, lab staff, continuing care, and social work, among others at Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Centre.

“This agreement shows healthcare workers that we want to keep them in Nova Scotia, sets wages and benefits that will help in recruitment and retention,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson in a news release. “(It) allows us to continue the transformation into a modern, high-performing healthcare system.”

The contract runs from November 1, 2023 to October 31, 2025.

According to the province, 291 collective agreements have been reached by government or government-funded organizations since 2021.