“Home care is at a very critical time,” Earle said. “We were in conciliation. We have 27 agents to negotiate. There are 20 that we have met in conciliation. Employers simply did not take the bargaining committee seriously, so we are very concerned. We asked for a written report. … At the end of the day, we will consult with our members if we do not reach a collective agreement. They offer invaluable service, and they are primarily women – more than 95 per cent. I think there`s a way.
Behind the scenes, there were a few conversations we had. I think we can find a resolution. The new collective agreement will take effect retroactively on June 17, 2014 and expire on June 16, 2017. “During this round of negotiations, we made a significant contribution to this province in the last round of negotiations,” Earle said in an interview with reporters after delivering a keynote address thursday morning. “We didn`t create the problem. … Every Newfoundlander and Labradorian has seen the cost of living rise, as have our members working in the public sector. What is our message – and we cannot predict what will happen in collective bargaining – is the status quo that we will not accept. The Union is convinced that the agreements ratified with the Group of 17 and the facilitators will quickly find a solution to these remaining rounds of negotiations. St. John`s (Oct 20, 2015) – Caregivers Inc. facilitators, members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE), voted to ratify their new collective agreement. The interim agreement is based on the presentation to the “Group of 17″ agencies and includes increases in monetary wages and improvements in the language of the contract.
Since NAPE/NUPGE is still at the negotiating table with several home care agencies, details of the agreement will not be published at this stage so as not to influence the remaining negotiations. In all negotiations, Earle stated that the union wanted to avoid union action, but added that it was the workers` right to consider this option. Over the past two years, the workers represented by NAPE have ratified 51 collective agreements. The only case where there were labour disputes at that time was when the City of Paradise released unionized employees. Earle is aware of these issues, but says there are ways the province can help forward workers in a new collective agreement. According to Carol Furlong, President of NAPE, the new agreement provides for monetary increases in wages and job bonuses, improvements in family leave provisions and improvements to the language of the contract. A collective agreement with prison officers expires next Thursday, with most of the union`s agreements with the government expiring on March 31, 2020. Earle said 15 negotiating teams would work in the coming months. Below are links to collective agreements at Memorial.
For more information on these collective agreements, please contact myhr@mun.ca. “I would like to congratulate the negotiating team for their hard work and determination to reach an agreement that is favourable to home facilitators and young people. The conclusion of this agreement will allow them to focus on helping and caring for those in need of the highest quality in our province. 51 collective agreements in the last two years, only one work action, workers have been blocked in the Paradise City.
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