St. John’s, NL – Members of the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador (RNUNL) have ratified a new provincial collective agreement with 82.5 per cent voting in favour.
“We are pleased to have concluded this long and complicated round of bargaining, which will result in many gains for our members,” Debbie Forward, President, RNUNL. “I want to thank the negotiating team for the incredible amount of time, knowledge and direction they provided throughout this process. I also want to thank our members who took the time to vote.”
The new agreement includes a number of improvements for members, patients and the health care system including:
- A Core Staffing Review in select areas to be conducted to assess the workload;
- The creation of 35 additional permanent float positions;
- An extension of maternity/adoption/parental leave and select benefits from 52 weeks to 78 weeks;
- Strengthened professional practice language;
- No layoffs to achieve provincial budgetary expenditure reductions during the life of the agreement; and
- A forum through the Office of the Status of Women to discuss workplace violence prevention in health care.
The collective agreement is set to expire on June 30, 2020 and applies to approximately 5,500 RNUNL members.
ABOUT RNUNL
The Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland & Labrador is the official trade union for registered nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador. Representing approximately 5,500 members, the RNUNL forms a strong, unified voice for nurses working in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Media Contact:
Jackie O’Brien
Communications Specialist
709-753-9961
709-691-0889
jobrien@rnunl.ca