Nova Scotia paramedics reject contract offer
CBC
Paramedics in Nova Scotia have voted down a contract offer they received last week from the provincial government.
Several paramedics, who weren't authorized to publicly discuss the terms of the offer, said it was for a three-year contract with an increase of about 20 per cent over the life of the deal. They expressed concern, however, that the contract did not do enough to address long-standing concerns paramedics have voiced about work-life balance.
Charbel Daniel, the executive director of provincial operations for Emergency Health Services, said in a statement that recruitment and retention of frontline staff was the focus of contract talks with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 727, and that the agreement offered "a substantial wage and benefits package."
The current contract expires at the end of the month and talks about a new deal started in June.
"We will not be providing any further comment until we have engaged in further discussions with our union partners," Daniel said in the statement.
"We appreciate the difficult work our frontline staff do each and every day, and the invaluable contributions they offer to the health-care system."
A recent auditor general's report said 25 per cent of daily ambulance shifts go unstaffed because there are not enough people available to work. The report also found that paramedics are often working well beyond their scheduled hours and it's difficult for them to get approved vacation time.
Speaking to reporters in Halifax on Tuesday, Premier Tim Houston said the government put forward "a very attractive financial offer," but union members would make their decisions.
"It's not that uncommon that [a contract offer] comes back for another round and that's the process and we respect that process," he said.
Houston said the government is "tough but fair" in the way it negotiates and he pointed to recent deals reached with the province's nurses and doctors as evidence.
"This is a fair financial package. There's always issues — internal issues within the organizations that guide the members — but we'll just kind of move forward."
IUOE Local 727 represents paramedics, clinical transport operators and members of the Life Flight team.
Officials with the union did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.