Support Bargaining Update February 4th 2025

Health Support Council of Unions

Bargaining Update

Dear CUPE member,

The Health Support Bargaining Council of Unions wants to give you an update on the status of negotiations in bargaining your new collective agreement with Nova Scotia Health and IWK following our recent discussions with the employers.

In our previous update, we shared that our committee was able to develop a very comprehensive wage package and presented it to the employers late in the day on December 5, 2024. The wage package included significant monetary increases for all the classifications and focused on your integral role in the health care team.

Employers still won’t discuss money

Your committee met with the employers on Tuesday, January 28 and Wednesday, January 29, where we received no response from the employers on our wage proposal and there was zero discussion on wages. In fact, no monetary provisions were responded to and the employers said they were unable to discuss them at this point. They are awaiting directive from the recently re-elected Houston government.

Several language issues were discussed but no agreements were made.

Bargaining delayed and interrupted

This process has been very slow and frustrating for your entire committee, and we understand your frustration as well. The delays at this point seem purposeful and we can’t help but question why the employer has yet to even agree to language provisions and gains that were agreed to in bargaining the other three collective agreements (Nurses, Health Care, and Administrative Professionals Units).

Premier Houston promised to fix healthcare, but not completing collective bargaining for your bargaining unit and not recognizing the vital role your work plays in the health care team fails to fix health care.

The essential services negotiation process has not paused and is still ongoing. That committee has met several times with additional dates scheduled during February. That separate negotiation is moving along and will allow you to be in a legal strike position – if need be.

Your committee wishes to thank you for your patience and continued support and will continue to work hard on your behalf to conclude the best possible collective agreement.

If you have any questions or concerns about the bargaining process, please contact your Area VP.