The province's 7,300 civil servants started voting today on a contract offer they are expected to reject.

Members of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union have until noon on Wednesday to vote on the tentative agreement. The union's executive is recommending members reject the offer, which includes a three per cent raise over four years and the end of the public service award.

The vote has been a long time coming. The tentative agreement between the two sides was reached more than a year ago and, at the time, the union recommended the deal.

But union president Jason MacLean, who was on the bargaining committee, said much has changed since that initial recommendation. In an interview Monday, MacLean said the agreement was reached "under duress," as the government threatened legislation last year that could impose a far worse deal.

But when Bill 148, which maintained the three per cent raise, was introduced a year ago, MacLean said the union realized it wasn't the hammer they feared.

That, along with the contract rejection by teachers, led the union to change its recommendation from acceptance to rejection, said MacLean.

He said the feeling is that Bill 148, which hasn't yet been proclaimed, can ultimately be fought in the courts, but there is be no way of getting the public service award back if NSGEU members accept the tentative agreement.

Union membership includes full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. It also covers a wide a gamut of jobs.

Among the list are: administrative professionals; forest technicians; geologists; child-protection workers; food inspectors; fisheries technicians; and accountants.

The union also represents planners; architects; tourism workers; archives and museum staff; correctional officers; fisheries and agricultural technicians; and vehicle-compliance officers.

MacLean said the union was looking for a three-year deal with wage increases tied to the fiscal growth of the province. Pay would go up annually by the percentage annual increase in nominal provincial GDP, but would be no lower than the change in Nova Scotia's consumer price index. (In 2015 CPI rose 0.4 per cent, while nominal GDP is forecast at 1.8 per cent).

But MacLean said there was never much talk about the union's offer.

"We weren't looking for anything other than what the government can afford and obviously maintain what we have in our collective agreement; we're not looking to give up provisions."

A spokeswoman for the Finance Department said the government believes the agreement on the table is fair and is glad members are finally getting to vote.

Premier Stephen McNeil has previously said if the union could find savings they could be passed on in the form of wages, but MacLean noted no guarantees were ever made.