| Welcome Norway House nurses |
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After more than four years of Labour Board hearings, the nurses of Norway House Cree Nation received a Labour Board certificate authorizing the Manitoba Nurses Union to collectively bargain on their behalf.
The process began in the summer of 2007 when MNU met with the nurses of Norway House and the nurses confirmed their unanimous support to join the union. The Employer (the Norway house Cree Nation) made the argument,before the Labour Board, that the nurses should be federally regulated due to the fact they were a First Nations Community. Anticipating challenges from the Employer, MNU had prior legal research conducted and believed strongly that the nature of the business conducted by these nurses fell within the provincial health jurisdiction and as such, should be certified by a Provincial Labour Board certificate. At the time of these hearings,there was a similar case before the Supreme Court of Canada which helped decided the outcome of the Norway House case. MNU has already taken the first steps by contacting the Employer to begin the process of bargaining a first collective agreement for these nurses. |
