ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Finance Minister Tom Osborne says a tentative two-year contract extension reached with the province’s largest public-sector union is a “fair and balanced” approach.
The provincial government and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) reached a tentative agreement to extend their existing collective bargaining agreement covering 16,000 workers.
Details of the agreements are being kept quiet, until NAPE members get their own look at the agreements. All Osborne and NAPE president Jerry Earle would confirm is there is a “modest” wage increase and changes to post-retirement benefits.
“This is a very balanced agreement.” — Tom Osborne
Six out of the last eight years have seen no wage increases for the NAPE members under the existing agreements.
“The cost of living, the consumer price index, is about two per cent a year. I think it would be completely unrealistic to expect a new agreement to have four more zeroes, or in this case an extension of two years for zeroes,” said Osborne.
“This is a very balanced agreement.”
Osborne says the savings associated with the agreement will mostly cover the cost of the wage increases.
“Status quo is unacceptable for our members," NAPE president Jerry Earle said. "We have been able to move beyond that and move away from the wage freeze that we’ve endured for four years come March 31.”
The no-layoff clause will remain as part of the agreement, as negotiated last year. Earle says keeping the clause helps provide security for NAPE members.
“The last thing we need in Newfoundland and Labrador right now is any share of people losing their jobs. That’s what we’ve done here now, try to create that stability,” Earle said.
“We need to keep our young people in Newfoundland and Labrador gainfully employed.”
“Status quo is unacceptable for our members." — Jerry Earle
The tentative agreements apply to air services, College of the North Atlantic (CNA) faculty, CNA support staff, correctional officers, general service, group homes, health professionals, hospital support staff, laboratory X-ray, marine services, maintenance and operational services (MOS), the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp. (NLC), school boards, student assistants, ushers and WorkplaceNL.
Meanwhile, Osborne confirmed the province’s fall fiscal update will take place Wednesday at noon, after weeks of questioning when the update will happen.
Tory Leader Ches Crosbie says he believes the delay harkens a tough update to come.
“I think, and all of us think, that the minister could have had this ready to give to the House while we were sitting last week. He blamed it on his public servants that it wasn’t ready,” Crosbie said.
“You’re telling me that couldn’t have been ready last Thursday or Wednesday? I don’t think so. It was arranged deliberately to put it outside the sitting of the House. That suggests there’s not good news in it.”
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
