The Provincial Government is pleased that after
working through the entire night, a tentative agreement has been reached
with the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union (NLNU) averting a
strike. The Honourable Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and
Labrador, and the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Finance and
President of Treasury Board, said this agreement bodes well for the
future of health care in the province.
Full details of the tentative agreement will be
released by the union to their membership, but details include an across
the board compounded pay increase of 21.5 per cent, plus new step
increases for new nurses and senior nurses (representing a total pay
increase of 31 per cent and 27 per cent respectively for these groups by
the end of the contract), substantial increases to shift differentials
and standby rates and increase in funding for education leave. The
negotiated agreement includes language on Extended Earnings Loss (EEL)
as previously put forward by the employer. As well, under language
negotiated on issues related to market modifier the employer maintains
the right to offer bonuses in order to address recruitment in hard to
fill areas.
"We are pleased that after working through the night,
we have been able to avert a strike with a tentative agreement that
maintains our core principles as an employer," said Premier Williams.
"This tentative agreement not only makes our nurses competitive across
the country but also protects patient safety. These have always been our
priorities, and we believe this generous agreement bodes extremely well
for health care in our province."
Minister Kennedy said he is pleased to see another
successfully negotiated collective agreement.
"After a long, hard negotiation process, I am pleased
that our government has concluded yet another successful collective
agreement," said Minister Kennedy. "This tentative agreement addresses
serious recruitment and retention issues and ensures patients throughout
the province continue to receive high quality health care."
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