N.S. nurses vote in favour of new contract that will pay them 12-21% more

Update, July 27, 2023: Nurses represented by four unions in Nova Scotia have voted in favour of a five-year
contract with the province. Approximately 87.5 per cent of those who voted cast ballots in favour of the new agreement.

From earlier story published on July 21, 2023:

Ten thousand nurses in Nova Scotia can expect substantial salary increases if they vote to accept a five-year contract offer negotiated with the Houston government.

The tentative agreement, announced Friday by the unions that represent nurses in Nova Scotia, is retroactive to 2020 and expires in 2025. It applies to nurses represented by the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, CUPE, Unifor and the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

The president of the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, Janet Hazelton, called the deal historic.

"I truly believe that it's one of the best in the country because of the process," said Hazelton. "We sat in the room with the employer for 27 days discussing issues that are affecting nurses in this province, and most of those issues have been addressed in some form or another."

According to details supplied by the unions, nurse practitioners will receive a 21 per cent increase in salary by the end of the contract, registered nurses will see raises ranging from 15 to 21 per cent, and licensed practical nurses will see their wages increase 12 to 17 per cent.

LPNs have already benefited from a 12 per cent "reclassification adjustment," which was agreed to before negotiations and was retroactive to June 2020.

According to the unions, the increases will make nurse practitioners the highest paid in Canada. RNs and LPNs will be the highest paid in the Atlantic provinces.

Six per cent of the increases are retroactive to Nov. 1, 2020.

Premiums and incentives

The contract also includes increases for shift premiums and new incentives, such as extra per-hour payments for those who supervise student nurses and those who are reassigned during a shift.

Nurses who forgo time off during peak vacation periods are eligible for a $1,000 bonus. Those called in when they are on vacation will be paid triple their hourly rate.

There's also language in the new contract to try to limit overtime and make sure shifts are properly staffed. 

Within six months of the contract being signed employers are expected to "provide a profile of all units and the current number of nurses working on each shift as an agreed upon starting point."

"The employers and union will develop a framework that determines the appropriate number of nurses for each unit across the province," according to a fact sheet prepared by the unions.

The aim of that work is to ensure a "guaranteed level of nursing staff."

Overtime

The workload of nurse practitioners can be reviewed by a newly established nursing staff advisory committee.

Another major issue for nurses — overtime hours — is also included in the tentative deal.

According to the unions, "New language on maximum hours of work will cap the number of consecutive hours of work at 16 hours and reduce the frequency of 24-hour shifts."

Health Minister Michelle Thompson, a former RN, sidestepped questions about specific aspects of the deal but suggested it was one worth endorsing.

"I feel confident and hopeful that this will resonate with nursing staff across the province because of the process," said Thompson. "I feel that our part of the table wanted to hear and we were willing to work together, and I feel that the nursing side of the table felt the same."

Thompson refused to indicate how much the deal will cost taxpayers, but said "all will be revealed after the ratification vote."

On Thursday, the government announced a new four-year deal with Doctors Nova Scotia worth $177 million.

Members will vote on the deal between noon Friday and noon July 27.