N.S. Crown attorneys reach tentative deal with province

Nova Scotia's Crown attorneys have reached a tentative labour deal with the province after negotiations that were prompted by a tense walkout in late October.

In a news release Thursday, the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys Association said prosecutors willreview details of the proposed agreement over the next few weeks and a decision will be made by mid-January.

Details of the agreement were not released.

Perry Borden, president of the association, said the bargaining committee is very pleased to have a settlementand it will recommend acceptance.

He wouldn't talk about the details of the deal.

The prosecutors announced their walkout in late October in response to the province introducing a bill that removed their negotiated right to binding arbitration.

Bill 203 passed into law on Oct. 26 but was not proclaimed as talks were restarted.

"It was give and take on both sides," Borden said. "We weren't going to allow Bill 203 to be a gun to our head in terms of bargaining. We were going to bargain for the benefit of our members, for the benefit of the province ofNova Scotia and its citizens. And I think that's what we produced as a result of this negotiation."

The Crown attorneys had been seeking a 17 per cent salary increase over four years, more than double the seven per cent over four years offered by the government during negotiations.

According to figures released by the province, the prosecutors currently earn up to $149,000 annually.

The Liberal government has a record of pressing public-sector workers for wage restraint and had set a wage pattern to apply across the board.

Premier Stephen McNeil has repeatedly said he doesn't believe arbitrators go far enough in protecting the public's ability to pay.

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