Halifax Northwood workers approve new contract
Posted Aug 13, 2012 03:43:31 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The unionized workers at Northwood in Halifax have approved a new tentative agreement.
About 350 members of NSGEU Local 34 met Monday evening in Dartmouth and voted 62 per cent in favour of the deal.
The collective agreement includes a memorandum of understanding that begins eliminating the two-hour unpaid on-call rule which was a bone of contention during negotiations.
NSGEU president Joan Jessome says that’s not a strong acceptance, and says it sends a clear message to the employer.
“There’s a lot of mistrust on whether this process will achieve what it’s expected to achieve,” she said. “There’s a huge expectation on the employer and the union to follow through on this.”
The workers were poised to walk off the job yesterday morning, but the strike was averted by a last-minute round of negotiating that included a provincial conciliator.
Jessome says another round of bargaining has to begin almost immediately, because the newly-approved contract has already expired.
“It’s a good thing, because if it isn’t working, we have an opportunity to tweak it or to come up with a new process,” she said. “I can tell you, based on the vote (Monday), and the passionate pleas at the mikes, they want this gone. It’s a big issue to home support workers, and they want it dealt with.”
Northwood workers at Ivany Place in Bedford are waiting for a provincial conciliator to file a report, which is expected to happen this week. That will trigger a 14-day countdown to a possible strike.
The workers assist about 1,600 clients with their personal care including bathing, dressing, meals and light housekeeping.
