News Labour Relations
Nova Scotia, doctors ink new labour agreements

HALIFAX (CP) – Nova Scotia’s doctors has approved a pair of four-year labour agreements with the provincial government.

The president of Doctors Nova Scotia, Dr. Gary Ernest, issued a statement Wednesday saying the agreements offer “more competitive” compensation and will help the province retain and recruit doctors.

Ernst says family doctors will see a significant increase in pay, bringing their compensation to the top of the scale in Atlantic Canada.

Under the contracts, all Nova Scotia doctors will receive a two per cent wage increase in each year of a four-year deal.

In addition, Ernest says the province has pledged investments in primary care, emergency care, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and anesthesia.

The so-called master agreement will also allow retiring and new physicians to work together to ensure there is a seamless transition for patients.

“While the contracts don’t solve every problem in the system and they don’t make every speciality nationally competitive, we believe the contracts are a step in the right direction,” Ernest said.

The deal includes two agreements, one that replaces the 2015 master agreement, and a second which replaces the 2015 clinical and academic funding agreement.

The agreements effect 2,944 physicians.