CUPE says talks with province broke off, schedules news conference
CBC
Unionized public-sector workers say the Higgs government is forcing them into a strike by walking away from contract negotiations Tuesday night.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees says it "clearly demonstrated movement" on its wage demands during three days of bargaining but the province ended the talks.
"Higgs walks away and forces strike," CUPE said in a notice to members. The union has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Ten locals representing more than 22,000 workers are now in a legal strike position.
They include workers in the health care, education, transportation and agricultural sectors, as well as social workers, jail guards, court stenographers, and staff at Worksafe NB, the New Brunswick Community Colleges and N.B. Liquor.
CUPE says their negotiators offered to accept annual wage increases of three per cent over four years. The union had been looking for five-per-cent increases. The union notice says the province was offering two per cent annual raises over five years.
The province refused to give up demands for concessions on pensions, CUPE says.
In September Premier Blaine Higgs said the union's wage demands were unaffordable. But CUPE said a fiscal update earlier this month projecting a $38 million surplus this year shows there's enough money to pay for the wage hike it wants.
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