THUNDER BAY — Conciliation meetings will begin Tuesday between the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and its 58 public health nurses.
The Ontario Nurses Association issued a statement Monday saying the nurses are "trying to avoid being forced to strike."
According to the ONA, the previous collective agreement expired Dec. 31, 2016.
The association said there have been only three days of negotiations with the health unit.
"Public health nurses provide a full range of services to promote the health of our communities, prevent illness and injury and protect residents from communicable and infectious disease outbreaks," said ONA President Vicki McKenna.
She called on the health unit to come to conciliation "prepared to offer a fair and respectful contract."
McKenna said the nurses recently worked to contain a tuberculosis outbreak in the city, "yet they remain the lowest-paid of all public health nurses in Ontario."
In a brief statement Monday afternoon, the health unit said it "recognizes and appreciates" the work that its nurses do, but it believes in "respecting the collective bargaining process" and will not be negotiating in the media.
Two days have been set aside this week for meetings with a conciliator.
