Our last proposal for general economic increases remains 4.5%, 3%, 3%. Our position has not changed since we presented this just before Easter in April of 2022. As everyone knows, inflation has spiked dramatically since then. We hope our presentation to the Conciliation Board results in some creative recommendations to help us reach agreement with the government. The Board cannot force a settlement, but their recommendations and the recent Treasury Board settlement may help guide the way to an acceptable path to settlement. We will not know the content of the Board’s recommendations until at least the end of May.

YG’s offer still remains inadequate and unacceptable to the bargaining team. The Employer is doubling down by proposing that going forward, severance will be frozen. This will result in a further 1.9% reduction in your total compensation.

We have heard rumours suggesting that “YG must have agreed to an increase to meet inflation”. Our team only wishes that were true. It’s the exact opposite. Apparently, we were asking for too much and the Employer team walked away from Conciliation talks.

At the 2021 Bargaining Conference, the membership gave the Bargaining Team a mandate to secure general wage increases for everyone. We were also mandated to negotiate better wages for the following specific occupational groups: correctional officers, paramedics, nursing home attendants, home support workers, student support services and nurses.