Striking Newfoundland paramedics' union says Fewer's ambulance refused return to work offer in favour of 'cash cows'
"... with this employer, he has continuously refused to negotiate. He's snubbed his nose at the government, and the procedures that have been laid out."The proposed bill is Bill 24, the Essential Ambulance Services Act. If approved, it would provide a path to binding arbitration. It stipulates that an essential ambulance services agreement must be in place before a strike or lockout can begin.
Dawe said the first draft of the bill looked as if it might be return-to-work legislation, and the workers were initially disappointed, but he said with amendments it will come closer to what the union is seeking in terms of essential-services legislation — something for which it has been advocating for a long time.
“It's a very, very disturbing situation. I mean, we met with the premier a little earlier on, and some of our members started sharing stories of how they fear retaliation from the employer. … This employer has an extensive history of lashing out at members, and trying to make sure that everyone stays in their place, in his mind. … It is all about him, and if you do something that he disagrees with there is going to be consequences for that.
However, the legislation would take away the paramedics’ key pressure tool of withdrawing their services to put pressure on the employer. Furey said that’s something that’s always a source of debate with essential services.Health and Community Services Minister Tom Osborne, Premier Andrew Furey and Bernard Davis, minister responsible for labour, speak to media Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, about the introduction of The Essential Ambulance Services Act.
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