**Updated September 22 at 10:00am
It was a rowdy opening to the fall session of the legislature.
Hundreds of people from several unions gathered outside Province House to protest Bill 148.
The bill sets limits on what an arbitrator can award government employees during a contract dispute.
NSGEU president Jason MacLean says the Premier enacted the bill because he wasn’t committed to bargaining.
“I feel to the extent that he understands bargaining, he exhausted everything. Meaning, he told us, this is what you’re going to take and we said no. We didn’t bargain. We didn’t exhaust it. What I’m saying is Stephen McNeil doesn’t know what he is doing,” says MacLean.
MacLean says many MLAs won their seats by narrow margins and his members will remind them of that.
Danny Cavanagh, President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour says the Premier should not be too comfortable with his slim majority in the house.
“People need to remember the last term of this government there was four by-elections. So one by-election or two by-elections could dramatically change the face of government in this province.
Cavanagh says he will work with opposition parties to raise their concerns.
He also warns unions will be making their presence known when the Liberals hold their annual general meeting in October.
Danny Cavannaugh rallying supporters at protest of Bill 148 #nspoli pic.twitter.com/FmiyqaqsIh
— Ed Halverson (@edwardhalverson) September 21, 2017
