CUPE New Brunswick members take part in strike action on Oct. 30, 2021. (Image: Robert Lothian)
The Higgs government has reached a tentative agreement with the seven local bargaining units represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Parts I, II and III of the public service.
The agreement comes 16 days after over 20,000 CUPE New Brunswick workers in several sectors walked off the job and hit the picket line.
“This has indeed have been a long process, and we are extremely pleased to have reached a resolution with these important groups of employees,” said Premier Blaine Higgs during a media conference.
Workers will not return to the picket line on Sunday and instead must show up for work “as soon as operationally feasible.”
Details of the agreement will not be released until ratification, according to the premier.
“I know it’s always an unknown until the vote is taken … (CUPE NB President) Stephen Drost and I have been communicating back and forth, and are both optimistic that the tentative agreement will be ratified,” said Higgs.
“We’re both confident to get people back to work … and that is an indication that we’re all ready to move on,” the premier mentioned.
Premier Higgs also brought up that schools will be reopened on Monday, Nov. 15.
“Once we had a tentative agreement signed we wanted to get the schools back up and running, and that’s why we had people who said they would come in on (Sunday) to get the schools ready, so students can come in Monday morning, rather than lose another day or two.”
CUPE New Brunswick indicated in their own release that CUPE 2745 and CUPE 1253 arrived at a “proposed Memorandum of Agreement” on pensions, which has been a sticking point in negotiations.
The wage proposal made to the seven local bargaining teams (1190, 1418, 1840, 1251, 1252, 1253, 2745) will be made available to three Part 4 locals: CUPE Locals 1866 (Worksafe NB), 5017 (NBCC) and 5026 (CCNB).
It was also announced on Sunday that ANBL had finalized a tentative agreement with NB Liquor employees.
Last week, it was revealed that more than 600 NB Liquor employees could walk off the job after voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike.
With files from Robert Lothian and Tim Herd.
HAPPENING NOW: @premierbhiggs is holding a press conference regarding the tentative agreements with CUPE.
— Tim Herd (@timherdradio) November 14, 2021
