What new legislation could mean for striking ambulance workers across Newfoundland

Members of the House of Assembly will be back at Confederation Building on Monday with the goal of passing legislation to make private sector ambulances an essential service — and put an early end to a strike affecting people across Newfoundland.

One of the big questions that remains is how such a move could affect labour negotiations between about 100 private sector ambulance workers in the province and their employer, Fewers Ambulance Service Limited.

According to a release from Premier Andrew Furey's office on Saturday, the new piece of legislation would require members of Teamsters Local 855 to get back to work right away, until an "essential services agreement" can be worked out between the union and the employer. Those agreements typically outline what aspects of a service are essential and how many people are needed to meet that standard.

Once that is established, the workers can return to the picket line while maintaining the terms set out in the essential services agreement. Future labour disputes could be referred to the province's Labour Relations Board, which can refer a dispute to binding arbitration.

"To date, only ambulance services provided publicly, through the Regional Health Authorities, fall under such legislation," reads the release from Furey's office. "Paramedics employed by private ambulance service operators fall under the Labour Relations Act and have thus far not been deemed essential."

Hubert Dawe, the man leading the negotiations for the Teamsters members, hopes the new legislation will establish clear timelines for when a matter is sent to arbitration, and include penalties in the event either side hinders the process.

"I would love to see this document and this bill to lay out a procedure where we provide an essential service and have a clear process where we can get this issue resolved," he told the St. John's Morning Show on Monday.

More than 100 paramedics and emergency medical responders walked off the job Friday at noon, citing poor working conditions, wages and lack of pension plan. They cover a huge area of Newfoundland, from Fogo Island in the northeast to Trepassey on the southern Avalon, and Stephenville on the west coast.

Eastern Health took the lead on a mitigation plan, with interim CEO Ken Baird saying they were "reasonably confident" they could still meet standard response times. 

Dawe said he's not aware of any incidents over the weekend, and said morale is high among the striking workers.

"The members finally have a sense that people are aware of what they do and are validating them," he said.

Premier Andrew Furey will speak with reporters ahead of debate in the House of Assembly, which begins at 10 a.m. He'll be joined by Bernard Davis, minister responsible for labour. On Friday, hours after the strike began, Davis said all options were on the table.

While health authorities have said they're reasonably confident they'll be able to cover the striking workers with other ambulance services, volunteer firefighters have been preparing for a bigger role.

Small-town fire departments are often called upon to help with medical calls, said Come By Chance Fire Chief Duane Antle, but the role is usually to assist paramedics.