[Kare]

The provincial government of Nova Scotia,Canada is going to pass a law prohibiting a strike by almost 10000 health care workers belonging to 2 unions. The NSNU has 4300 members (mostly R.N.+ some LPN ) the rest belong to NSGEU and are mostly RN + some diagnostic like lab,xray,physio.
We will lose the right to a legal strike til 2004, will have a contract imposed on us by the govt. and, if we have an illegal strike the unions will be fined 50,000 plus each individual striking fined 2000 for the first day then 500 daily.
I belong to NSNU and we just rejected by a vote of 75% the first tentative agreement.The main sore points were losing special unit pay (1260/yr.) and instead the new classification of Float (resource) nurse getting up to 1.25/hr. and MANDATORY callback .We are now going to implement work to rule....Any comments???web page [img]http://[/img]

[fergus51]

Hi Kare,
I am in BC and you probably already know we're in the middle of a work to rule campaign also. I know Alberta nurses don't have the right to strike either, but they did and so did Quebecs nurses even after they were ordered back to work. I don't know what options you would have left if this goes through. Will you be able to refuse OT or non-nursing duties?

I just thikn your gov't is shooting itself in the foot. Have they thought of how many nurses are you going to lose to the States or other Canadian provinces because of this? They just don't understand supply and demand. I am certain any nurse in NS or anywhere else in Canada could move to the States where they get signing bonuses, retention money, tuition reimbursement and a huge pay raise. People just don't understand that we are worth decent pay and can leave if we are unsatisfied and find work anywhere. I hope you have success with your work to rule. Nurses all over Canada will be interested to see how this turns out.

[canoehead]

I am so pleased that both provinces have nurses that are ready to stand together and kick some gluteals. I was in Nova Scotia, but was one of the nurses that chose to leave for the USA regretfully. I must say I still feel like I'm working in the lap of luxury even though I have been here for 4y now.

You know with all the support nurses are getting I think the public has some idea what we go through - and they were just waiting for us to stand up and shout. Nova Scotia nurses have 6 other unions behind them, and MDs and the public has been pretty laid back about the mass protests, but they are certainly laying on the letters to the editor. It says we've done a good job as a group through the years, and should give ourselves a pat on the back.

We rock, baby.

[Cdn_Psych]

The gov't has forced a confrontation which it cannot win. Its actions are draconian and offensive most people's sense of justice.

Now they are reaping the the results of their actions. You are not captives. If you can't strike then you can leave as an individual or resign en masse.

As the Toronto Star said in an editorial this year (talking about the arbitrary Harris government, but applicable to the Nova Scotia situation):

"Anyone contemplating the nursing life very quickly finds idealism corroding in the reality of these new stresses in an already stressful profession. What is also becoming clear, however, is that we now have a government-created nursing shortage. Luring nurses back is going to take more than reannouncements. Getting them to stay is going to take more than back-to-work laws. With demand for nurses rising, nurses able to leave have ample opportunity to pack up and go. It’s called the market. Nurses are needed. The new militancy says they know this. And now the bills for the blunders come due."