CUPE complains to labour board about government's delay giving back pay to workers

The Canadian Union of Public Employees has taken its demand for retroactive pay for provincial workers to the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board.

Close to 3,500 provincial employees will be getting retroactive pay late because the government hasn't met its responsibilities, the union said at a news conference Wednesday.

The delay is especially infuriating for workers given the budget surpluses the provincial government has enjoyed, said Stephen Drost, president of CUPE New Brunswick.

"We've got a premier and a finance minister running around bragging about a half-a-billion-dollar surplus, yet they won't pay their workers for the work that was done four or five years ago," Drost said.

"How insulting to these workers? How disrespectful to these workers. "

The retroactive pay is part of collective agreements signed in December after a strike by thousands of provincial employees in November. The striking workers included trades and repair workers, correctional officers, human service workers, laundry and custodial workers, and rehabilitation and therapy workers.

The government said earlier that work is continuing to make sure the back pay reflects the pay rates negotiated for workers represented by locals 1190, 1251 and 1418.   

The union wants the board to declare that the Blaine Higgs government has broken the law by not upholding the Public Service Labour Relations Act.

"Government has failed to meet its own legal obligations under Section 63(1) of the Public Service Labour Relations Act to implement provisions of the new collective agreements within 90 days from the date of their execution," Drost said.

"That includes making retroactive payments to workers —  that means pay for work already done." 

The union is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages

Some of the delayed retroactive payments stretch back five years and affect members who are struggling financially, the union said. 

And some workers who were paid were not done so correctly. In some cases, the back pay was short thousands of dollars, the union said. 

Patricia Brewer, the president of Local 1840, representing court stenographers, said she is concerned about the accuracy of back pay and wants more financial details from government. Multiple stenographers have reported pay problems, she said.