Employee Transfer Agreement reached for CEIU members in Newfoundland & Labrador

94 CEIU members will join the public service of Newfoundland & Labrador on November 2, 2009 as part of the labour market agreement with the government of Canada. The terms under which staff will move to the province are set out in the Employee Transfer Agreement (ETA) which was signed recently by the two governments.

“We are reasonably happy with the provisions of the ETA” said CEIU National Vice- President Denise Richey, “but we will miss those who are leaving us.” In addition to provisions found in the NAPE (Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees) collective agreement, the ETA provides job security for the first three years following the staff transfer as well as coverage under pension and benefit plans.

Richey will be visiting locals with affected members to discuss the ETA. In addition, there will be federal-provincial video conferences for staff along with in-person sessions devoted to pensions and benefits. “We are trying to provide the information members need to make informed decisions” said Richey, “and to deal with the uneasiness felt by some over the move.”

“We have lost many members to labour market agreements” according to CEIU National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay, “and while we strive to develop good ETA’s, at the end of the day we face saying goodbye to so many who helped to build our union. We will remember their contribution.”