KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – A long and bitter labour dispute appears to have come to an end as Bryony House and its workers have reached a tentative agreement.
‘We’ve been working towards this resolution since March 2019. It’s been a long time coming but it wouldn’t have been possible without the community support here in the HRM and also across Canada. A sincere heartfelt thank you from the 23 unionized staff members at Bryony House,’ states local president Shelley Robinson in a press release issued by the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
“We are incredibly pleased that a tentative agreement was reached between the Halifax Transition House Association (Bryony House) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada that we believe is fair and reasonable for both parties.
The HTHA Board of Directors and Management look forward to moving forward together, continuing to provide the best service and care possible for women, and their families, facing intimate partner violence,” says Maria Mac Intosh, Executive Director, in the same press release.
The workers, members of PSAC DCL Local 80022, would have been in a legal lockout or strike position on February 23.
They were fighting efforts by management to have the workers surrender their three seats (out of a total of 17 seats) on the board of directors. Paid domestic violence leave was another contentious issue.
Bryony House and the union will not discuss the specifics of the tentative agreement until both parties have been able to complete the ratification process.
See also: News brief: Efforts to silence Bryony House shelter workers may lead to strike or lockout
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