Restorative Justice workers in Nova Scotia be walking off the job as early as July 26.
Through the community justice societies, those workers help perpetrators and victims of crime resolve issues outside of the criminal courts.
Govind Rao with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing the restorative justice workers, says the job they do is similar to work performed by probation officers but at an average of $37,000 per year, their members make just ofer half what the officers do.
“There doesn’t appear to be any logic for why, people who are de facto government employees are not paid anywhere close to provincial government employee rates.”
NEWS RELEASE — Restorative justice caseworkers in Halifax, who are paid about 56% of what probation officers earn for doing similar work and requiring similar qualifications, are looking for a wage increase of roughly 25-30%. https://t.co/qOxenYCX25 #nspoli #HRM #canlab
— CUPE Nova Scotia (@cupenovascotia) July 4, 2018
Rao says many workers have to take second jobs just to stay afloat.
He’s concerned this approach isn’t fair.
“What this disparity causes is turmoil in the system. There’s close to, in the past year, more than 100 per cent turnover in terms of case workers who are working for the community justice society.”
Rao says that means clients will go through several workers with no consistency in their approach and resolution process.
CUPE wants Minister of Justice Mark Furey to work the issues out with them directly.
Meanwhile, the Minister says it’s up to the boards running the community justice societies to work out a contract.
Mark Furey says while the funding comes from the department, personnel decisions are handled by the board.
“Each of the criminal justice societies would have a governing board and they’re responsible to manage those human resource labour matters.”
Furey says the discrepancy in salary between the restorative justice workers and probation officers is well established.
“Any change in that salary would be the responsibility of the board. Should the board require additional resources, that would be a matter of them coming back to government.”
Furey says government provides a grant to the boards each year and as yet, he hasn’t received a request for more funding.
The justice minister says the services restorative justice workers provide are invaluable and very much appreciated by the province.
But to insert himself in these negotiations would be inappropriate.
