Tentative agreements have been reached for a third time between two bargaining units of the New Brunswick Nurses Union and the province.
But a third bargaining unit is still working to get an agreement in place, according to a union spokesperson.
The latest agreements, announced on Friday morning, come just days after members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
“Following a respectful and collaborative round of bargaining, we were pleased to reach these tentative agreements with the nurses union,” Premier Blaine Higgs said in a news release.
On Monday, the union announced that its members had voted 92 per cent in favour of strike action.
Part III nurses voted 91 per cent in favour of a strike, nurse managers and supervisors voted 96 per cent in favour, and the nursing home bargaining group voted 89 per cent in favour.
“After receiving strong strike mandates from all three bargaining unit members, followed by three intense days and nights of bargaining, the Part III and nurse managers and nurse supervisor teams have reached tentative agreements and are recommending ratification,” said union president Paula Doucet in the provincial release.
Members of those two bargaining units rejected two previous tentative agreements reached with the province in recent months.
The two groups include more than 8,000 registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, nurse managers and nurse supervisors working in hospitals, public and community health programs, Ambulance NB and extra-mural programs.
Union spokesperson Holly Crawford said the nursing home bargaining group, which includes registered nurses and nurse practitioners, is still working to secure an agreement.
“Progress was made, but it is still in the works,” Crawford said in an email.
Both sides have agreed to withhold details of the agreements until they are ratified.
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