'Framework' for deal: Government and NAPE move closer to collective agreement

Newfoundland and Labrador's government and the province's largest public sector union have reached a"framework" for a collective agreement.

Finance Minister Tom Osborne said Thursdaythe break comes after "a lot of work, [and] very respectful dialogue."

Contract negotiations between the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) and the province have been going on for almost two years.

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They began when Cathy Bennett was in the Finance chair and soured after NAPE president Jerry Earle accused her of being in "contempt" of the bargaining process.

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Thursday's announcement is the first positive sign since negotiations began.

"I've not sure we've ever seen where a Minister of Finance sat in the room for six hours and talked about collective bargaining which the minister actually did," said Jerry Earle, NAPE president.

He said government and unions heads resumed talks after Labour Day.

"There's still a few remaining issues that we've been working on diligently for the last week," he said.

"I gotta commend the minister we met as recently as Saturday past, we went off to our respective Remembrance Day ceremonies. Shortly thereafter, we went into meetings and we worked Saturday night until 8:30 to try to work through the issues and come to this framework agreement."

Earle saidthere are still Is to dot and Ts to cross, and that 16 union negotiating teams still need to go over the plan and make sure they're on board.

That will happen on Friday Dec. 1, said Earle, and carry on through thatweekend.

He's hoping they'll reach a tentative agreement on Dec. 4 and that the agreement will be put to NAPE's membership for a vote in the new year.

Osborne said there was give and take on both sides, and he thinks the frameworkthey've reached will work for government and for its employees.