Dozens of Correctional Officers rallied in front of the Justice Department in Halifax, Tuesday afternoon, fighting for better pay.
First Vice President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) Hugh Gillis says, correctional officers in our province, remain the lowest paid in the country.
“Sheriffs in Nova Scotia, working primarily with the same clientele, are making four dollars more an hour,” says Gillis.
He adds, to be fair, the Department of Justice has been recruiting correctional officers, but the challenge is to retain these new recruits and to have senior correctional officers there.
Tough Job
The job of a correctional officer is not easy.
“I mean you are with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week…and you know, you’re working with clientele that have a lot of troubles, mental health issues and they simply need a lot of work and support,” says Gillis.
He adds, it’s very demanding work and can take a toll.
“The issue really is on retaining staff. They’re having a hell of a time keeping senior staff working in corrections as correctional officers,” adds Gillis.
Next steps
Talks are ongoing with the Civil Service Bargaining Unit, but Gillis says, they don’t believe those negotiations are going to close the pay gap.
He says, they have filed to get a new classification rate for their members, but that can take up to a couple of years.
“We don’t believe we have that kind of time,” says Gillis.
Gills adds, they will continue with the rallies until they resolve the issues, but until then they will continue to hope for meetings, more dialogue and “evaluate and reassess” as they move along.
