Long term care workers kept out as employers refuse to negotiate remaining issues to end strike

HALIFAX, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Employers of workers from Admiral and White Hills Long Term Care Centres, and Bay Side Home have forced hundreds of long term care workers back on strike this week over remaining local issues despite the tentative agreement reached on June 6.

Represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1259 and CUPE 2007, workers halted their strike action following the tentative agreement reached at the lead bargaining table with the understanding that any remaining local bargaining issues would be resolved quickly and that all parties wanted workers back inside as soon as possible.

“It’s disappointing,” admits CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Kim Cail. “After 8 weeks on the picket line and provincial negotiations settling the wages, you’d think employers would be motivated to conclude bargaining at individual local tables, but these employers are unwilling to bend on anything.”

The owners of these 3 homes, GEM Health Care Group Ltd. and Bayside Home Corporation, refuse to settle articles related to standby pay, which would bring an end to unpaid work in the home, and mandated time off in the schedules, which would ensure a certain number of hours off between scheduled shifts.

“Residents of these homes are still being cared for under the essential services agreements, but they could be back to normal staffing levels right now. Instead, these employers are refusing to pay workers who are required to be on call after their shifts to handle any issues that arise or ensure workers have a minimum number of hours off between shifts. Seems ridiculous to me,” finished Cail.

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