After eight-week strike, some Nova Scotia long-term care workers ratify contract
Posted Jun 11, 2026 04:51:25 PM.
Last Updated Jun 11, 2026 05:45:03 PM.
HALIFAX — Unionized long-term care workers in Nova Scotia have taken a big step toward ending a lengthy labour dispute with their employers and the provincial government.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees says workers at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax voted late Wednesday to ratify a tentative contract agreement that was reached on Sunday.
The ratification is significant because those members were part of what the union describes as a “lead table,” which means they were responsible for setting the economic pattern for the entire sector.
When the tentative agreement was announced, the union told its 3,600 striking workers to stand down from the picket lines after most of them had spent the past eight weeks off the job.
Now that the lead table has approved the deal, all other striking locals will hold their own ratification votes, which could take weeks to complete.
The main issue at the bargaining table was wages.
The union confirmed Thursday that it had won a minimum $5 an hour raise for all workers over the life of the collective agreement, as well as additional wages for supervising and training students.
No other details were released. That won’t happen until all union members have voted.
“It was a long, tiring process and it wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous support and solidarity shown by long-term care workers provincewide,” union spokesperson Christa Sweeney said Thursday in a statement.
The union said Sunday its negotiators had unanimously recommended endorsing the deal.
The employees’ collective agreements expired in October 2023.
At one point during the strike, a union official said the main goal was to get every member closer to a living wage, which refers to the rate of pay needed to cover basic living expenses.
Among those who walked off the job April 13 were nurses, continuing-care assistants and housekeeping staff. Essential services, however, were maintained throughout the strike, as required by legislation. But many physiotherapists, occupational therapists and recreational therapists worked reduced hours.
During the strike, residents said they had less access to care and activities, and that the quality of food had declined.
As well, the union complained that the government had presented the same contract proposal six times during negotiations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2026.
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press
