Public health nurses with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health are pushing back against the health unit’s assertion that the offer presented to them is “fair and reasonable.”
On Monday, the health unit held a media conference explaining its decision to make a final offer of a 2% wage increase up front.
“In some negotiations, what they do is, if we knew we had 2% available, we may start at one, and then say, 1.25, and then 1.5. Our approach was to go directly to the union to tell them what the maximum amount we had available was to them and to present them offhand,” Director of Corporate Services at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, David Johnston, explained at the media conference.
In a press release sent out on Tuesday, the public health nurses dismissed the notion was fair and reasonable.
“If Hastings & Prince Edward County believe they have made a fair offer, why would they refuse to go to arbitration and let an outside party confirm their position?” asked ONA President Erin Ariss RN in the release.
“If this employer is serious about getting back to the table, they should agree immediately to go to arbitration and ensure that the residents of these counties again have the invaluable care and services our nurses provide.”
During the media conference, Johnston claimed that ONA has not reached out to the health unit to continue negotiations since going on strike.
“We have not had a negotiation session with ONA since they have decided to go on strike. They have not reached out to us to continue negotiations at this point,” Johnston said.
The health unit cited how much was available in the budget in order to accommodate the wage increase.
“This contract balances the need of a reasonable salary increase for ONA members, while remaining fair to all those reliant on our budget that’s being impacted. This includes the ONA staff, the other HPEPH staff, clients and all the taxpayers,” Johnston says.
ONA rebutted that the health unit should have been able to put together its budget better.
“This community should expect their health unit to budget appropriately to ensure the provision of frontline services,” Ariss says in the release.
“There is something very wrong here if they’re admitting they did not budget properly for frontline care and fair wages for the highly educated and skilled nurses who provide it.”
The main sticking point between both sides remains wages.
Fifty registered nurses, public health nurses and registered practical nurses at Hastings & Prince Edward County Public Health have been on strike since August 21.