Agreement one step closer for divested healthcare workers

OPSEU secures bargaining rights and negotiates terms of collective agreement

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) is nearing the finalization of a collective agreement for 600 of its members who were divested from one organization to another just over two years ago.

The employees, formerly part of Ontario Public Health Laboratories, became part of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP) in Dec. 2008. At this time, OPSEU and the new employer began discussions to ensure that members transferred with their jobs and their collective agreement.

OPSEU has secured the bargaining rights for its members and negotiated most terms of the collective agreement. Any outstanding issues have been referred for arbitration.

“OPSEU has unrivalled experience dealing with mergers and divestment,” said OPSEU president, Warren (Smokey) Thomas, in a release yesterday. “This shows once again how we are able to effectively protect our members when reorganizations take place.”

An announcement regarding agreement details will be made after all matters have been resolved.

The OAHPP is a government agency comprised of scientific and technical support workers, public health practitioners, front-line health workers and researchers.

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