Mildred Dover, Acting Minister of Health, and Margaret Duffy, President of the PEI Nurses Union, today announced that the Province of PEI and the PEI Nurses’ Union reached a tentative agreement on a three year Collective Agreement.
The agreement provides for an 8.75% wage increase over three years. Through the new contract, the maternity/parental leave/employment insurance top-up benefit is introduced. There will be improved employer contributions to the Nurses’ education fund. The new contract also gives new compensation for perceptorship/mentorship when a senior nurse partners with a new nurse to assist them in becoming comfortable in their new profession. For the first time, the Union’s contract language includes the new Nurse Practitioners.
Minister Dover said, “Government is pleased that the parties negotiated a tentative agreement. Nurses are a valued part of the Island’s health system and we continue to work together to ensure work standards and compensation are appropriate.”
Margaret Duffy advised that the tremendous amount of time and energy put into the Negotiation process has yielded positive results for RN’s in Prince Edward Island. “This tentative agreement provides fair compensation to our nurses on par with other nurses in Atlantic Canada with regards to wages and benefits. This effort allows us to be competitive in attracting and keeping nurses in this province.”
The next step in this process is to ratify the agreement. Information packages will be mailed by the Nurses’ Union as soon as possible, and a Special Meeting will be scheduled to inform the members of the details of this agreement. A ratification vote is expected in mid-September.
The new contract will be retroactive to April 1, 2005 and effective to March 31, 2008.