FREDERICTON (GNB) – The following statement was issued today by Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard in relation to negotiations with CUPE nursing home workers:
I understand the appeal was decided in favour of the Government of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes. This decision grants a stay of a the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board’s Dec. 7 decision and subsequent order with respect to the Essential Services in Nursing Homes Act. In the meantime, the essential services legislation remains in force until the judicial review of the Labour and Employment Board decision is completed.
This will provide nursing home residents and their families with peace of mind. However, we understand that only once an agreement is reached will nursing home residents and families feel secure that they will continue to receive the current high level of care.
While I support the collective bargaining process and workers’ ability to strike, the health and safety of nursing home residents continues to be my primary concern. It is important to note this stay was requested in consideration of the safety and security of nursing home residents.
This is not an end to negotiations. The employer enhanced its offer in recent weeks, while the union’s wage demands have remained unchanged.
The provincial government is open to funding wage increases to nursing home workers, but CUPE’s demand for wages to be increased by 20 per cent over four years is out of line with what 24 public service bargaining groups, including hospital workers who do the same jobs, have accepted.
We have been asked by the union to agree to binding arbitration. In the interest of reaching an agreement, we moved off our position of saying no to binding arbitration and presented the union with the conditions under which binding arbitration would be acceptable. We have proposed that the wages of similar jobs in the New Brunswick public sector and New Brunswick private sector be the factors considered in this binding arbitration.
26-04-19