The province is taking a hard line in contract negotiations with its employees.
Labour Relations Minister Mark Furey announced this morning government will proclaim Bill 148 on all unions without a contract.
Passed during the McNeil government’s first term in office, it lays out the wage pattern an arbitrator must abide by.
That consists of no raises in the first two years, one percent in the third, 1.5 in the fourth and a half percent at the end of the contract.
It also does away with the public service award which has been a contentious issue for the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.
Furey says government needs to stay within its ability to pay.
“This is about getting right for all Nova Scotians so that we as a government, and future governments, will be able to continue to invest in core services that are important to Nova Scotians.”
Furey says government needs to keep an eye on costs.
“The proclamation of Bill 148 should not be a surprise to anyone. We introduced it as legislation in December of 2015 so that we had a mechanism to control spending.”
Conciliation talks between the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union and the province failed last month and both sides agreed they would take the negotiations to binding arbitration.
The NSGEU has maintained their position, the elimination of the public service award is a non-starter for them.
Union President, Jason MacLean says they will not roll back benefits they have worked hard to achieve.
“NSGEU cannot have Bill 148 proclaimed on them without going forward and challenging it in court because that will change how bargaining happens forever and a day and we cannot just sit there and let that happen.”
The NSGEU represents over 8,000 civil servants who have been without a contract since their current one expired in March of 2015.
