Union for long-term care workers and province return to bargaining

CITYnews halifax / By Chris Halef

The provincial government and the union representing long-term care workers in Nova Scotia are agreeing to conversations after more homes hit the picket lines.

In a press release from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), it says that government representatives have agreed to return to the bargaining table.

“We’re happy to hear that the government is willing to get back to the table,” Christa Sweeney, long-term and community care committee chair, said. “We look forward to negotiating in good faith and reaching a deal that everyone can be happy with.”

Melville Lodge began picketing in Halifax on Thursday, followed by Shoreham Village in Chester expected to join the strike action on Friday. CUPE’s long-term and community care committee chair says the union will not back down until the government returns to the bargaining table.

“This government clearly thinks that ignoring us will force us to give up and go back to work,” said Sweeney said previously in a release. “But the opposite is true.”

Related:

• About 3,000 long-term care workers on strike
• 2,200 long-term care workers to hit picket line after issuing 48-hour strike notice

There are 30 other long-term care homes already on strike, bringing the total number of striking CUPE members to over 3,000.

On Wednesday, CUPE’s national president Mark Hancock visited picket lines in the HRM in solidarity with the workers who’ve been striking for four weeks.

The union and the Nova Scotia government are currently at an impasse, with no current plans to return to the bargaining table.

Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-term Care, has previously stated that the government is offering pay increases of at least 12 per cent over four years, while some workers would see pay bumps of up to 24 per cent.