Cathy Bennett showing 'contempt' for bargaining, says NAPE
Union contemplates next step after Finance Minister says conciliation not working
Comments Monday by the province's finance minister and the province's biggest public service union indicate that contract talks for thousands of workers are at a stalemate.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) has accused Cathy Bennett of sowing distrust and trying to derail the collective bargaining process.
Bennett, in turn, has said bargaining has stalled, telling a group of chartered accountants in St. John's Monday that no progress was made during conciliation talks.
That's a unilateral decision, according to NAPE president Jerry Earle who told members in a Facebook post Monday that the union has asked for additional dates with conciliators. He said NAPE will ask the Labour Relations Board to clarify the status of conciliation.
"We will also be expressing our frustration with the contempt that the government is showing for the independent conciliation process," Earle said.
"At this stage, we are unsure if these are the actions of a minister who simply has no experience in collective bargaining or if she is intentionally trying to derail the bargaining process."
While Bennett has not said whether the government is looking for concessions, sources tell CBC News that benefits such as sick leave are being discussed. The premier has said wage rollbacks are not on the table.
"We want to have progress," Bennett told reporters outside the House of Assembly Monday. "We continue to maintain that we want to reach a negotiated settlement with our employees. We don't choose if there's a strike."
New type of bargaining proposed
Bennett said she has approached union leaders about the possibility of what she called a "two tiered" bargaining process, where instead of negotiating separately for each bargaining unit, issues common to various groups are lumped together in an effort to speed up the process.
It really calls into question how committed the government is…- Jerry Earle
Earle said the union has not had a chance to respond to that idea, so he was surprised to hear Bennett talk about it publicly.
With NAPE's largest group, hospital support staff, set to begin bargaining this week, and correctional officers set to start in July, Earle wondered about the message being sent to public servants.
"The government was in a rush to enter the conciliation process — now they seem to be in a rush to exit," he said.
"It really calls into question how committed the government is to the process."
Bennett, meanwhile, repeated the need to address spending and the province's debt. The Liberal government has already cut 300 managerial jobs to create what it called "a flatter, leaner" civil service.
"The province still has a significant financial deficit, has significant liabilities, and we need to address those in a way that's responsible and meaningful for the taxpayers of the province and the people of the province who expect services to continue."