The Provincial Government today announced it has reached collective agreements with seven bargaining groups represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Ratification on these agreements was concluded by Friday, December 7, and they will expire in 2020.

The Provincial Government and CUPE, which represents approximately 4,500 public sector employees, have reached agreements that include no wage increases, the elimination of severance where employees qualify and changes to group insurance for new employees who qualify.

These collective agreements will support government’s balanced approach to fiscal management, maintaining services while creating a more affordable public service. The current projected savings of the severance payout across the entire public service is approximately $25 million per year.

Details around severance payouts for CUPE members will be announced in the coming weeks. Negotiations are ongoing with other public sector unions in the province.

This initiative delivers on commitments in The Way Forward to strengthen the province’s economic foundation and operate a more efficient public sector. The Way Forward outlines all actions the Provincial Government is taking to achieve a strong, diversified province with a high standard of living, and can be viewed at thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.

Quotes
“While this has been a challenging negotiation process, we have secured agreements with CUPE members that promote greater stability in the workforce while helping to improve our provincial economy. As a government, our priority remains balancing our fiscal situation while supporting the delivery of services and supporting economic development.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board
Minister Responsible for the Human Resources Secretariat

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Media contact
Marc Budgell
Finance/Human Resource Secretariat
709-729-2477, 689-0430
marcbudgell@gov.nl.ca