'This is a good start.... The bar has been lifted for the other 16 home support agencies who are also in bargaining.' - Carol Furlong.
St. John's (12 May 2010) - Employees represented by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) have ratified a new collective agreement with CareGivers Inc.
The settlement affects approximately 600 workers who provide home and residential support services.
NAPE president Carol Furlong says the deal contains significant gains in wages, benefits and contract language.
Besides higher pay, the package also includes an additional holiday, a meal provision for extended shifts, a clothing provision, seniority recognition, paid vaccinations and first aid renewals, a justice and dignity clause and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing the parties to finalize health insurance benefits.
"This is a good start to addressing recruitment and retention in a growing industry where there is a shortage of support workers,” says Furlong. "The bar has been lifted for the other 16 home support agencies who are also in bargaining with NAPE. Obviously, we have to continue to negotiate even greater improvements but this was a productive round of bargaining,” said Furlong.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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