Latest news with #NSGEU
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Union says dozens of jobs lost as NSCC switches to single food services partner
The cafeteria in the NSCC Sydney Waterfront Campus is seen. (CTV Atlantic/Ryan MacDonald) The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) says nearly 30 long-term food service employees have lost their jobs due to Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) switching to a single, provincewide partner. Last week NSCC announced it would be partnering with Aramark Canada Ltd. to deliver on-campus food services. The college said this decision will impact workers at eight locations. 'Until now, food services at campuses have been offered through a combination of third-party services and NSCC-operated cafeterias and cafes,' a news release from the college says. 'This model is not financially sustainable. Profits at some locations did not offset ongoing losses at others. The College cannot continue to absorb these annual losses. 'By working with a single, province-wide food services partner, NSCC will continue to provide access to food at every campus, according to the level and nature of activity at that location.' NSGEU says this partner switch will result in 27 longtime employees losing their jobs along with their pensions and benefits. The union also claims NSCC did not conduct an open bidding process for a new contract. 'This is a blow to our members, many who have dedicated years of service to the NSCC and its students,' said Sandra Mullen, president of the NSGEU, in a news release. 'These are good, public-sector jobs that are being eliminated, and replaced by positions with no pension, severely reduced benefits, and less favorable sick time and vacation provisions.' NSCC said all employees were given severance and the opportunity to potentially work with the new partner. The college also said it could no longer continue with the previous food service model, citing unsustainable 'annual six-figure losses.' 'By moving forward with this new model, we have a financially-sustainable approach for providing food services at campuses while ensuring our resources are focused on delivering exceptional learning opportunities,' the college said. In an open letter to Premier Tim Houston, Danny Cavanagh, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, called on the province to cancel the Aramark contract and rehire the 27 workers. 'Yes, the new jobs might still be offered to Nova Scotians, but let's be clear: these are not the same jobs. They're often low-wage, contract positions with fewer benefits and no pensions,' the letter reads. 'That means less money staying in our communities and more profit leaving the province. 'Union jobs are different. They create stability. They keep families here. They grow our local economy. Union wages get spent in local businesses, supporting the shops and services that make up our communities. These jobs build a stronger Nova Scotia.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
09-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
NSCC to contract out food services, laying off 27 employees
Twenty-seven food service workers at the Nova Scotia Community College are losing their jobs as the college outsources the work to a private company. NSCC has hired Aramark Canada to run food services operations at its campuses. Previously, those operations were run by employees of the college and other companies. The college says the profits brought in by some campus locations were not offset by ongoing losses at others, and the arrangement amounted to losses of about $800,000 each year. "It's always challenging to make any change that you know is going to affect colleagues," said Lynn Hartwell, the NSCC's vice-president of campuses and communities. "But in this case, we've been sustaining quite significant losses across some of our food service operations across the college and it's just not financially sustainable to continue to go on." Interviews offered with new company The affected employees were told on Thursday that their jobs were being eliminated effective Aug. 22. They are being offered interviews for jobs with Aramark, and will also receive severance pay and 40 days' pay in lieu of notice, as stipulated in their collective agreement. Rhea Gouthro is the sous-chef at the waterfront campus of the NSCC in Sydney, N.S., and is one of the employees who was told she is losing her job. She is also the vice-president of the NSGEU local that represents NSCC food service workers. She says workers were blindsided by the news, and were only given until Monday to inform the NSCC if they wanted to accept the interview with Aramark. "It's still a shock for us. It's a mix of frustration, betrayal and deep concern for our livelihood," Gouthro said. "We understand the difficult decisions need to be made sometimes, but they should be made fairly, transparently and with respect for the people who helped build this college community. All we ask is to be treated with dignity we've earned and for our voices to be heard in decisions that affect our lives." Gouthro said the new positions will have lower wages than the jobs with NSCC. Wages for front-line positions with Aramark range from $16 to $23 per hour and come with health insurance coverage, according to Aramark's letter to NSCC employees. Union response In a news release, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union said some employees were only a few years from retirement and others rely heavily on their health benefits. "This is a blow to our members, many who have dedicated years of service to the NSCC and its students," said union president Sandra Mullen in a news release on Tuesday. "These are good, public-sector jobs that are being eliminated, and replaced by positions with no pension, severely reduced benefits, and less favourable sick time and vacation provisions." Gouthro said while she has worked at the NSCC for eight years, all of her colleagues at the waterfront campus had worked there for 15 years or more, and one had been there for 27 years. The NSGEU called on Premier Tim Houston to tell the NSCC to stop contracting out jobs. "These are not just numbers on a balance sheet; these are Nova Scotians, our neighbours, who are facing immense uncertainty," Mullen said in the news release. "In the end, the move represents a prioritization of financial figures over the well-being of dedicated employees.… The premier needs to offer people more than words. They need his help, and Nova Scotia needs a government that puts people first." The college is not alone in contracting out food services. Some of the other university campuses in Nova Scotia use the services of Aramark, including Dalhousie University and Saint Mary's University. Hartwell said the NSCC looked at how post-secondary schools across the country handled food service, and found that few were offering it internally. Hartwell told CBC News she thanks the employees for their service, and said the decision to make the change was not made lightly. "My sincere hope is that we'll see many of them when we open up again the cafeterias in the fall," she said.
CBC
03-07-2025
- CBC
CBRM refusing to release staff survey results, but police union says low morale is no secret
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is refusing to release the results of a wellness survey of its first responders, but the union representing police says it's no secret that officer morale is in the tank. CBRM says it is keeping the survey of police, firefighters, dispatch operators, jailers and records staff confidential, because it does not want the data to be misinterpreted. Hugh Gillis, vice-president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union that represents Cape Breton Regional Police, said the results should be pretty clear. "We really need some action on these issues here in Cape Breton, because the morale is just as low as it's ever been," he said. Gillis said the police force needs better equipment and more officers to spread out the workload. "It's about their health and safety, and the inability to recruit new officers has left staff feeling overworked and exhausted," he said. "The problem is that each year the budget for the police had run surpluses and they returned that money back to CBRM. Meanwhile, equipment and staffing issues go unaddressed and it's totally unacceptable." The survey was recently presented to the police commission behind closed doors. Gillis said the fact it's being talked about is a good sign. "Now that these results have been formally reported to council, NSGEU hopes that the council actually opens their eyes and begins to start taking immediate action on these issues," he said. After a June police commission meeting, Chief Robert Walsh declined to comment. "I have to direct you to CBRM [human resources] on that matter. I can't discuss it publicly. It was an in-camera session." In an email later, CBRM spokesperson Jenna MacQueen refused to release the results of the survey, even with anonymous data that would not identify individuals, saying it includes sensitive information. She said the survey was an internal tool and the results have been shared with council, the police commission, management and union representatives "to ensure the right conversations are happening and actions are taken." CBRM to 'make meaningful changes' "Our goal is to create a safe space for staff to provide honest feedback so we can make meaningful changes that address their challenges," MacQueen said. "Publicly releasing this information could undermine that trust and deter future participation." The Cape Breton police force has struggled with absenteeism, but it has also taken steps to try to recruit more officers, including offering a cash signing bonus. increase officer safety.
CBC
27-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Contract talks with N.S. public service break down over job protection
Officials with the union representing most civil servants in Nova Scotia say they're prepared to take their chances with an arbitration panel as long as the provincial government is targeting job protection. The contract for about 8,400 workers represented by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union expired on March 31, 2024, and the two sides had been working with a mediator in recent months to try to reach a new collective agreement. NSGEU first vice-president Hugh Gillis said in an interview Friday that it seemed like they were making progress until earlier this week when "those talks kind of went sideways" and government representatives indicated they wanted the job protection clause on the table. Gillis described job security as "a red line" for the union. "Obviously, government would like to get rid of that so it would be easier to lay off employees and we're having nothing to do with that," he said. "We're not giving up our job security." Union wants wage increases to follow pattern The union's job protection provisions state that when someone's position becomes redundant, is relocated or would otherwise receive a layoff notice, they cannot be laid off. Instead, a worker could exercise bumping rights, accept a voluntary layoff but be entitled to recall, or voluntarily resign with severance. The other issue relates to pay. Although he would not say what the government is offering, Gillis said the union believes a new deal should begin with a 5.5 per cent wage increase in the first year, in keeping with the terms of other recent collective agreements. "We're a wage pattern province and we believe that we can make the case that it's 5.5 [per cent]." If talks do not resume, the two sides are destined to meet at an arbitration panel hearing Oct. 20-21. Representatives for the government and union would argue their respective positions, with the panel's decision being binding. A spokesperson for the province declined to comment on matters involved in bargaining. Severance terms announced for non-unionized workers Meanwhile, the province announced Friday the new severance terms that will apply to non-unionized civil servants if they are laid off without cause. The Progressive Conservative government passed amendments to the Civil Service Act during the winter session at Province House giving itself the power to fire non-unionized workers without cause. About a quarter of the public service is not represented by a union. The updated regulations will provide four weeks of pay per year of service, capped at 72 weeks. The previous cap was 52 weeks. Employees would receive eight weeks' notice ahead of a layoff. In March, Public Service Commission Minister Twila Grosse said the amendments were required to give the government greater flexibility to deal with changing needs in the public service. At the time, Grosse said there were no plans for a broader reorganization or layoffs within the public service. A spokesperson for the province said Friday that "staffing decisions remain with individual departments, who must manage within their operational needs and budgets."
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Union representing NSLC employees speaks out against potential privatization of liquor sales
An NSLC store on Kearney Lake Road in Halifax is pictured on May 29, 2025. (Jesse Thomas/CTV Atlantic) The union representing the workers of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation is calling on the provincial government to stop any plans they have to privatize alcohol sales in the province. On Tuesday, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) said the potential privatization of alcohol could have a significant impact on the province's revenue. 'The NSLC contributes 100 per cent of their profits, over $280 million annually, to the province which is used to fund many important public services like health care, education and new infrastructure,' said NSGEU first vice president, Hugh Gillis, in the news release. 'In these uncertain financial times why would the government look at doing something that would decrease revenue and put public services at risk?' The union argues the privatization of alcohol sales would also put many jobs at risk, especially in rural communities, as NSLC employs thousands of people. 'Most people live only a few kilometers away from an NSLC or agency store. There is no urgent need to make alcohol more available through privatization. Losing provincial revenue, losing good paying jobs, and normalizing the use of alcohol through privatization is not worth the risk,' said Gillis. Last month, the province announced it would be conducting a public opinion survey with around 1,500 Nova Scotians over the age of 19, as well as a consultation process that would look at 'the types of stores where alcohol can be sold.' 'Nova Scotia is taking steps to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, and that makes this a good time to look at how alcohol is sold and consumed,' said Finance and Treasury Board Minister, John Lohr, in that announcement. Alcohol is currently sold at more than 300 retail locations across Nova Scotia including NSLC stores, private wine and specialty stores, stores at breweries and wineries and farmers markets. The survey will be conducted by the province until June 30. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
