News details

Connection







Lost password?

Latest news

Shortage of prosecutors: towards abandoning prosecutions

Crown prosecutors fear the worst in the face of the crisis which is slowing down the functioning of the criminal justice system in New Brunswick. Calls for help have been made for two weeks.  Me Yves Duguay, Vice-President of the New Brunswick Association of Crown Prosecutors and prosecutor in Bathurst, admits that the situation has been worrying for a while.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2024-03-27
B.C. prosecutors’ association raises security concerns about Vancouver courthouse following assault

The association that represents B.C.’s roughly 450 Crown prosecutors is raising safety concerns around an East Vancouver courthouse after a member was allegedly assaulted outside last week. "We’re reeling, this has really shaken us to the core to have one of our own attacked right here,” said BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2024-02-05
Increased number of homicides doesn’t bode well for overworked N.L. prosecutors, association says

There are 17 homicide cases before the courts in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the head of the association that represents local prosecutors says the higher-than-normal caseload will be difficult to handle.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2023-09-07
Manitoba adds 25 Crown attorneys to prosecution service amid workload issues

The Manitoba government hopes to add about two dozen more prosecutors and assistants to the prosecution service, which attorneys say has been struggling to keep up amid workload and workforce issues. Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys says province left group out of discussions.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2023-06-26
Les Leyne: Premier David Eby takes on lawyers — again

The B.C. NDP government has introduced a one-page bill that bestows the right to join a union on the 350 lawyers who work for government. There’s a catch. It herds them into a union the government prefers, the Professional Employees Association, rather than allowing them to form their own.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2023-05-06
‘Unfair labour practice’: B.C. government accused of blocking union bid by its own lawyers

Lawyers for the B.C. government say the province has ended negotiations with them ahead of legislation they claim aims to block their right to form their own union.

[ ...More ]
Publication date : 2023-05-04


<-- Back to archived news

Crown prosecutors seek to skip conciliation step, move to strike option

01-09-2016

A significant backlog in court cases, particularly at the provincial court level, is expected if Crown prosecutors go on strike. (CBC)

 

The union representing Crown prosecutors in New Brunswick wants the labour board to declare an impasse in contract negotiations with the province to give them the right to strike "sooner rather than later," likely before the end of the year.

 

It comes after 97 per cent of members rejected the government's latest offer of a one per cent wage increase for each of the next four years, said Steve Hindle, a vice-president with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

 

"The government doesn't seem to be willing to change its position and it's not giving us any indication that further discussions would result in any material difference to a tentative agreement, so we would be encouraging [the labour board] to say we're at a deadlock," said Hindle.

 

"Based on the current state of affairs, I think it's very likely that we will see some job action by the Crown prosecutors probably by the end of 2016," he said, possibly sooner if the labour board agrees to skip the conciliation board step as being nothing more than a "pro forma exercise."

 

Hindle expects a decision by the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board as early as this month.

 

A strike would result in "a significant backlog" in the court system, primarily provincial court, said Hindle.

 

Only 28 of the province's 61 prosecutors would be deemed essential and continue to work through any job action to handle "the more serious cases."

 

"There is going to be an awful lot of waiting that people will have to do if they're expecting a court date," he said, urging the province to "consider making a better offer."

 

Lowest salaries in Canada


New Brunswick's prosecutors have been without a contract since March 31, 2013.

 

They are the lowest paid prosecutors in the country, earning between $42,562 and $115,804, said Hindle, referring to 2009 statistics, the latest available figures and the ones used in the current negotiations.

 

By comparison, prosecutors in neighbouring Nova Scotia are paid between $56,096 and $125,000, while those in Ontario have the highest salaries at between $74,520 and $196,965.

 

"It's completely unacceptable for the government to offer our members a symbolic one per cent wage increase and no improvements in their working conditions after years of salary freezes and an ever-increasing workload," Chris Titus, president of the New Brunswick Crown Prosecutors' Association, said in a statement.

 

"All we're asking is to be compensated fairly for our efforts and expertise."

 

Government remains 'hopeful'

 

Vicky Deschênes, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Resources, said it would be "premature for government to comment on the details."

 

But she described it as "an active file."

 

"The bargaining process has not been exhausted and we remain hopeful the parties will reach an agreement," she said.

 

Hindle said wages are "the big stumbling point."

 

But he also believes "pent up frustration" over the government's switch to a shared-risk pension model for public service employees — and the ongoing lawsuit — has also played a role.

 

"We think of it as the total compensation that the province gives to its employees and even though it wasn't at the bargaining table, pensions has been hanging over the relationship with this government and the previous government and it's affecting how people deal with the offer," he said.

 

Hindle contends it might be time for the government to consider legislative changes to allow pension arrangements to be handled through contract negotiations.

 

"It's part of compensation, so why isn't it negotiable? It's a legitimate question," he said.

 

"I'm not suggesting that the answer is it has to be negotiable, but I am suggesting an exploration of the question is not out of order."

 

No talks are currently scheduled, said Hindle.

 

"We always prefer to have a negotiated agreement … without having to resort to using the labour capital that we control, but in the end if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes."

 

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents approximately 55,000 scientists and other professionals across Canada's public sector.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/crown-prosecutors-contract-strike-union-1.3742665