The Registered Nurses’ Union is rolling up its sleeves, ready for a tough round of collective bargaining with the new PC Government – and it’s already signaling that it’s not afraid hit the picket line.
The RNU is hosting nursing union leaders from across the Atlantic region for Atlantic Caucus meetings this week.
The union leaders are sharing lessons learned and are coming up with strategies with the RNU’s current collective agreement set to expire on June 30.
RNU President Yvette Coffey says one of the items in their collective agreement that must be addressed and changed is the provision for so-called ‘flex-time.’
“Which is only applicable to community and public health,” says Coffey. “So they don’t get overtime premiums for hours that they are working over their hours. They actually get flex-time, which means they get time off. Well, guess what? The time off hasn’t come to fruition for everybody.”
“So they’ve had to start paying them at applicable overtime rates. We call them the ‘poor cousins’ of RNU, and we have a mandate from our membership…that flex time has to go, or the RNU will be on the streets.”
