Attempting to reach agreement for more than 8,000 civil service employees
The Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union (NSGEU) has agreed to two conciliation dates on August 8 and 9 with the Nova Scotia Public Service Commission instead of the two hearing dates that had originally been set aside for an arbitration hearing with the Labour Board.
Government has assured the NSGEU and the Labour Board that they will not oppose arbitration if these two additional conciliation dates prove to be unsuccessful in concluding an agreement for civil servants, according to the union.
“Up until now, we have had no indication that government is genuinely interested in reaching an agreement with the over 8,000 civil servants we represent,” said Jason MacLean, NSGEU president. “By agreeing to these additional conciliation dates, we are leaving no stone unturned and taking every possible step to try and reach a fair collective agreement for our members.”
There are more than 8,000 members of NSGEU who work in the civil service providing a vast array of important public services across the province. They work in Access Nova Scotia centres, child welfare, corrections, the courts, education, finance, inspections, health & safety, wildlife, fisheries, mining and forestry.
Civil service members voted to reject the provincial government's final offer on Dec. 14, 2016.
That final office included a four-year wage package with two years of zeros, a third year of one per cent, and a fourth year of 1.5 per cent with a 0.5 per cent increase on the last day of the contract. The offer also included the elimination of a long held benefit, the Public Service Award, said the union.
The civil service master agreement expired March 31, 2015.
