Nova Scotia prepares for nurses strike, but union leader says it will be brief

HALIFAX – The union representing 2,400 nurses in the Halifax area says picket lines will be set up by 7 a.m. Thursday after it is in a legal strike position.

But Joan Jessome, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, says she expects the strike to be brief because the provincial government is poised to pass essential services legislation that could see nurses return to work as early as Friday.

The government introduced its essential services legislation late Monday, prompting an illegal walkout the next day by a few hundred nurses at the Capital District Health Authority.

The union advised its members to obey a Nova Scotia Labour Board ruling Tuesday that ordered them back to work.

Capital Health CEO Chris Power said about 70 surgeries scheduled for Tuesday were cancelled as a result of the nurses’ illegal strike, in addition to 19 that were previously postponed in anticipation of Thursday’s strike.

Some patients have been transferred to other health districts and a unit for patients in its addictions recovery program had to be closed because there weren’t enough nurses to staff it, Power said.

Other areas, including emergency rooms, dialysis, cancer care and intensive care units, remained open, Capital Health said.

The health board will consult with its human resources department to determine what, if any, repercussions should be meted out to the nurses who did not attend work, Power said.

The nurses primarily work at four places in the Halifax area: the QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Hospital, East Coast Forensic Hospital and Public Health Services.

But the impact of a strike stretches beyond the city as its hospitals serve as a regional health centre.

Patients are treated at Halifax hospitals from across the Maritimes. Last week, Prince Edward Island began moving some patients back to their home province.

The government’s legislation would require unions and employers throughout the health-care sector to have an essential services agreement in place before strikes or lockouts start.

In addition to nurses, the bill would apply to paramedics, 911 operators, hospital employees and people who work in homes for seniors, youth and people with disabilities. The government says 35,000 to 40,000 workers would be covered by the law.

The legislation would also allow parties to request conciliation or mediation to help negotiate an essential services agreement. If they can’t agree, either party could apply to the Nova Scotia Labour Board.

The union and Capital Health have been unable to reach a deal on a new collective agreement despite the help of a mediator.

The key sticking point is a demand from the union to increase nurse-to-patient ratios, something it says would improve patient safety. The health authority has said there is no evidence that mandated ratios guarantee better safety.