Collective Bargaining Update

CSSEA and the Unions of the Bargaining Association (CSSBA) continued collective bargaining under the Province's Shared Recovery Mandate last week and on Monday of this week in an effort to reach a fair agreement that addresses many of the sector's challenges.

While progress continued to be made between the parties on a number of proposals and outstanding issues are being narrowed, there remain some sticking points — most notably in relation to wages and paid leave provisions. The Unions continue to seek significant improvements to paid leaves, including sick leave, in all of the CSSEA Collective Agreements, as well as for additional paid special leave under the Indigenous Services Collective Agreement.

CSSEA has tabled a number of comprehensive settlement proposals in response, but the parties remain apart on a number of issues. Over the last three rounds of negotiations, CSSEA’s Bargaining Committees have been primarily  focused  on improving the ability to continue to deliver services to clients and as such, views comparability in wages with the health sector — particularly at this time of rising inflation —as this sector’s highest recruitment and retention priority. To date, our proposals have prioritized allocating as much available funding toward achieving that goal and reducing agencies’ exposure to possibly not fully-funded leave provisions and other higher benefit costs.

At the moment we are waiting to receive a formal CSSBA response to CSSEA’s latest comprehensive settlement proposal and no future bargaining dates are currently scheduled. The employer Bargaining Committee is available and ready to negotiate but we will continue to push to achieve the above-mentioned employers’ goals and advance the sector’s interests in delivering quality and sustainable services to clients.