Province says it will accept some of James Dorsey's orders
The province is clarifying which of the orders it will accept that were assigned by arbitrator James Dorsey.
Dorsey was hired last year to restructure health-care bargaining as part of a Liberal government initiative to streamline health-care administration.
The Health Authorities Act requires separate bargaining units for nurses, health-care workers, clerical workers and support staff.
Health workers are currently represented by the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU), the Nova Scotia Nurses Union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees and Unifor.
Dorsey had been tasked with assigning Nova Scotia's 24,000 health-care workers into four bargaining units, down from 50.
The province has fired Dorsey four times. Three of the instances were in recent days.
Although Dorsey was fired by the provincial government, it is not actually a party to the arbitration.
Dorsey has asked the employer and the four unions to tell him by Tuesday, March 3, whether they want him to continue.
Dorsey’s employer is the Health Association of Nova Scotia and it is questioning everything Dorsey did after Jan. 19, saying he had no authority after this point in time.
On Friday, the province said it would accept everything Dorsey decided up until Friday, Feb. 20. It is not accepting Dorsey's order awarding 4,000 clerical workers to the NSGEU.
