Nurses union, New Brunswick reach new collective agreement

Wage freeze for 2 years, modest increases to follow

The New Brunswick Nurses Union and the New Brunswick government have signed a four-year collective agreement on Feb. 26.

The deal, which represents 6,000 registered nurses and public and community health nurses, includes a wage freeze for the first two years, and one per cent increases every six months in 2013 and 2014.

"I thank the two negotiating teams for reaching this agreement, which incorporates the provincial government's two-year wage freeze initiative," New Brunswick Human Resources Minister Troy Lifford said in a press release. "The teams also addressed items surrounding pay equity and job classifications, which are important factors in employee retention."

The nurses union’s previous deal expired Dec. 31, 2010. It included wage increases of 11.5 per cent over the life of the contract.

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