Nova Scotia unions, politicians react to wage package

Nova Scotia union representativesand political leadersare reacting to the introduction of legislation that couldforce a wage package onto75,000 public servants.

The McNeil government wants to impose a two-year wage freeze, followed by annual raises of one per cent and 1.5 per cent, with a half per cent at the end of year four.

Bargaining committees will still be able to negotiate working conditions, but the proposed law takes wages off the table.

"Well, it's going to be a real problem for collective bargaining," said Ray Larkin, a labour lawyer who represents severalunions.

"Collective bargaining often needs to have the element of wages and benefits as a key element in finding resolutions. So, I think parties to collective agreements won't have very much incentive to bargain with each other."

Others are also weighing in.

Shelley Morse -Nova Scotia Teachers Union

"Certainly they're proving to their public employees that they are definitely against fair collective bargaining," Morse said. "I don't believe you legislate to get your own way."

The wages in the legislation arethe same as whatteachers voted down earlier this month.The legislation also takes away long-service award benefit and"certainly changed what was in our tentative agreement," Morse says.

Morse respondedto the Liberals's statementthe legislation does notimposea wage on workers.

"Well, technically it is, that was the wage pattern that was turned down by our members," Morse said.

"They also said it wasn't about the money, but we wanted to go back to the table to talk about their working conditions. So now they've just made sure that whatever they choose, happens."

John McCracken - CUPE Nova Scotia

"This is a dark day for labour relations in Nova Scotia. It's a very dark day."

McCracken recalls when the unions were negotiating during the health union merger talks.

"We seem to have come up against a government that yet again that appears to be willing to thumb its nose at several court rulings," he said.

"The most recent one was in January 2015, when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that free collective bargaining is an enshrined right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.".

He says CUPElocals have all passed motions to adopt no-concessions bargaining and will not beaccepting imposed concessions.

Jason MacLean -NSGEUfirst vice president

"Well, the violent analogy is not only do they have a gun to our head, they have a round in the chamber," MacLean says.

"I have an emergency call in tonight with my bargaining team and my bargaining council," which couldreschedule the upcomingvote.

"What we're ready to do is make some decisions, going forward, based on what the government has. Hopefully, our members are angry and pumped up and they'll answer back to the government."

Jamie Baillie - leader of PC Party of Nova Scotia

"We have concerns about this whole process. These guys do not have a good track record in dealing with this," Baillie said of the Liberal government.

"I really am concerned it's going to end up costing taxpayers even more money in the end. And that's not fair."

Baillie said the last time the Liberals went up against the unions, legal fees rose because of the arbitration process.

"We don'tsupport the process at all."

He says the government should be focused on creating jobs.

MaureenMacDonald-interim leader of the NDP

"It's very discouraging, but it's in keeping with the way this government approachescollective bargaining," MacDonald said.

"It's the heavy hand of the legislature interfering with the collective bargaining process."

She says these actions made by the Liberalsare not respectful.

In response to the notion that the Liberal government says it's not imposing a wage on the workers, MacDonald says, "Oh c'mon! That's what I say. We all know what this is about."